Why do islamists pray on carpets?

Ashlinggnilsia

It's just a simple question, why do all islamists pray on carpets instead of praying directly on the floor?

Brown Bomber

Ashlinggnilsia wrote: »

It's just a simple question, why do all islamists pray on carpets instead of praying directly on the floor?

Do you even know what an Islamist is?

Hobbes

I think he meant Mulsims in general. I don't know, but if I was to guess it is to keep yourself clean.

Ashlinggnilsia

Ignore this thread my boyfriends friend is a dickhead and was trying to annoy people. Used my laptop and signed in as me. Apologies

hivizman

Ashlinggnilsia wrote: »

It's just a simple question, why do all islamists pray on carpets instead of praying directly on the floor?

As already noted, the use of the word "Islamist" is unfortunate, but the question "why do Muslims pray on carpets instead of praying directly on the floor?" is a perfectly reasonable thing to ask.

In fact, praying on a carpet or rug is not an absolute necessity - in the Grand Mosque in Makkah, people normally pray on the ground rather than on carpets (not just in the Mosque itself but in the surrounding open spaces and streets). Sometimes, during occasions of mass prayer, such as the 'Eid al-Fitr, prayer takes place in a large space booked for the occasion and use of prayer rugs may be discouraged in order to squeeze more people into the space. I observed a mass outdoor 'Eid prayer ceremony in Singapore a couple of weeks ago, and many people prayed on the ground rather than on rugs.

However, as Hobbes noted, the main reason is to do with cleanliness. Muslims need to be in a state of wudu - ritual cleanliness - for their prayer to be valid, and hence they will clean themselves before praying. If they then prayed on the ground, they would run the risk of picking up some dirt and hence breaking their wudu.

Another reason for using a prayer rug is that it helps in concentrating on the ritual actions. During the standing and bowing parts of the prayer, the Muslim should have his or her eyes looking down to the spot where his or her forehead will touch the rug in the prostration part of the prayer. Prayer rugs generally have a design in the shape of the mihrab, or prayer niche, and the eyes can focus on the top part of the mihrab. In many mosques, the carpet is patterned with rows of mihrab designs.

Finally, some prayer rugs come with built-in compasses that show the qibla, the direction of the Ka'aba in Makkah towards which Muslims pray.

Jaafa

If I may add also, I have a wooden floor in my house and praying on a 'carpet' helps the ould knees.