Question
Is it permissible to pray on a thick padded prayer mat ? Some say we must feel the hardness of the floor for salah to be valid.. is this correct?
بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
الجواب بعون الملك الوهاب اللهم هداية الحق والصواب
Answer
If the object on which you are prostrating is thick and it is pressed by pressing, then simply placing your forehead on it will not perform Sajdah, but it is necessary to press the forehead and nose so much that it does not press any more. In other words, it is necessary to feel the hardness of the floor. Otherwise, if it is not pressed so much, then Sajdah will not be performed.
It is stated in Fatawa Hindiya: “If he prostrates on grass, straw, cotton, cloth, or snow, So if his forehead and nose are firm on the ground and he feels its hardness, then it is permissible and if his forehead is not firmly pressed, it is not permissible.
(Al-Fatawa Al Hindia, Kitab al-Salah, Vol. 01, p. 70)
Answered by: Mubashir Attari (AskMufti Scholar)
Verified by: Mufti Sajid Attari
Translated by: Saqib Madani
