A Discussion on Lined Carpets in the Masjid: The Arguments For and Against

✅ For: Drawing lines on the masjid carpet has great benefits and clear advantages that cannot be properly achieved without them. They make it easier to straighten the rows and help people do so more quickly and in a more orderly manner. ❌ Against: If there was really benefit and advantage in it, then why did the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) not do it? The benefit of ensuring that the rows are straight was just as important during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, the Tābiʿīn, and those who came after them. ✅ For: The reason for doing this did not exist during the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, his Companions, or the Tābiʿīn, because their prayer rows were short and easy to straighten. In contrast, our rows today are long and difficult to straighten, so there was no need in their time to draw lines. ❌ Against: The claim that there was no reason to draw lines in the masjid to straighten the rows during the time of the Prophet ﷺ, his Companions, and the Tābiʿīn is incorrect. Rather, it goes against the reality of the situation. The reason did exist, and drawing lines was possible. This will become clear to you through the following points: First: The reason for drawing lines—namely, to straighten the prayer rows—already existed. That is why the Prophet ﷺ personally took care to straighten the rows, and it took some of his time to do so. So why did he not draw lines? The Prophet ﷺ would always choose the easier of two permissible options, and drawing lines would have been easier for them. Yet he and his Companions did not do it. Second: The claim that their rows were short is not completely correct. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ led around 120,000 people in prayer during the Farewell Pilgrimage. Can that number really be considered small, with short rows? Apart from the Two Sacred Masjids, where today do you find a masjid that holds such numbers? Even though the Prophet ﷺ led these huge crowds in prayer, he did not draw lines, nor did he command them, encourage them, or even suggest them. This alone invalidates your argument and the reason you have given. Third: Even if we assume that there was no need for lines in the past, and that this need only arose later, the question that naturally follows is: What caused this need to appear in these later times? Is it because there are more worshippers in the masjids today than there were in the early generations, or is it something else? Without doubt, the correct answer is that the reason is not the large number of worshippers. Rather, it is because many people have become negligent in learning the rulings of the prayer and in acting according to the guidance of the Muhammadan Sharīʿah. If that is the case, then the scholars say that when the underlying reason is because of the negligence of the people, then it is not legislated to introduce this practice in order to achieve a benefit that was lost due to their own negligence. ✅ For: We say that, although the reason existed, they were not able to draw lines. Making lines on the ground was difficult and burdensome, since someone would have had to redraw them before every prayer. The same applies to praying on mountains and in valleys. As for today, it is very easy—you simply buy carpets that already have the lines woven into them. ❌ Against: They could have drawn lines in several ways. For example, they could have marked lines on the gravel that covered the floor of the masjid using plaster, tin, or other materials or colours, and that would have achieved the intended purpose. ✅ For: That would still have been difficult because they would have needed to redraw the lines before every prayer, and hardship calls for ease. ❌ Against: This is contrary to reality. At the very least, they would only have needed to renew the lines once a day. Would that not have been easier than straightening the rows before every prayer, five times each day and night? Another possibility is that they could have used fixed or movable ropes as lines, tying them in place before the prayer and removing them afterwards. ✅ For: This would cause inconvenience and hardship, and people might trip over the ropes. ❌ Against: This is not necessarily the case. If the ropes were laid flat on the ground, and the ground was firm gravel, then it would be very unlikely for people to trip over them. This shows that the reason for drawing lines did exist, and that it was possible to do so. Yet the Prophet ﷺ and his Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) did not do it. Therefore, introducing it amounts to legislating a means that is not legislated, and the best guidance is the guidance of the Prophet ﷺ. Whenever the reason for an act of worship existed during the lifetime of the Prophet ﷺ, at the time when revelation was still being sent down, and it was possible to carry it out, yet neither the Prophet ﷺ, nor his noble Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), nor the Tābiʿīn did it, then it is known to be an innovation (bidʿah), not a legislated means. This is what the statements of the scholars indicate, and it is also supported by the hadith of ʿĀʾishah (may Allah be pleased with her) recorded in both Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: "Whoever introduces into this matter of ours something that is not from it, it will be rejected." In the wording of Muslim: "Whoever does an action that is not in accordance with our matter, it will be rejected." What is meant by "our matter" here is the Islamic legislation. ✅ For: These lines are not an act of worship in themselves. Rather, they are only a means of straightening the rows. The principle regarding the existence or absence of the reason applies to acts of worship, not to means. That is why all the examples mentioned by Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah rahimahullah under this principle relate to acts of worship. ❌ Against: Even if we accept that they are a means and not an act of worship in themselves, have you forgotten the well-known principle: "The means take the same ruling as the objectives," or "Means are judged according to their ends"? So, if these lines are a means to an act of worship, then they also become part of that act of worship, and according to your view, the person who introduces them would be rewarded for doing so. Therefore, your argument still faces the same problem. There is another point as well: the statement of Shaykh al-Islām rahimahullah is general. The fact that he gave examples involving certain acts of worship does not restrict or limit his principle, as will be explained later. This is because, as scholars say, an example is only a particular case mentioned to clarify a general principle. By itself, it does not restrict or limit that principle. It only does so if there is supporting evidence indicating such a restriction. ✅ For: We compare this to the permissibility of using loudspeakers, since they are also a means. ❌ Against: This comparison is incorrect. It is an analogy despite there being a clear and obvious difference between the two. The purpose of loudspeakers is to carry the voice as far as possible, and this objective is something encouraged by the Sharīʿah. The hadiths point to this. In the hadith of ʿAbdullāh ibn Zayd ibn ʿAbd Rabbih (may Allah be pleased with him), recorded by Abū Dāwūd and others, and authenticated in Al-Jāmiʿ as-Ṣaḥīḥ by Imām al-Wādiʿī rahimahullah, the Prophet ﷺ said: "It is indeed a true dream, if Allah wills. Go with Bilāl and teach him what you saw so that he may call the adhān with it, for he has a stronger and more beautiful voice than you." So I went with Bilāl and taught him the words, and he gave the adhān with them. ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) heard it while he was in his house. He came out dragging his cloak and said: "By the One who sent you with the truth, O Messenger of Allah, I saw the same as he saw." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ then said: "All praise belongs to Allah."