- The Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, removed his sandals when Gabriel informed him that there was filth on them (1). This indicates that it is not permissible to carry impurity with one during prayer.
As for the evidence concerning the purity of the place of prayer, it includes Allah’s statement in Surat al-Baqarah: “Purify My House for those who circumambulate it, those who remain there in devotion, and those who bow and prostrate.” [al-Baqarah: 125]
It also includes the Prophet’s statement concerning mosques: “Nothing of harm or filth is suitable in them.” He also commanded that a bucket of water be poured over the Bedouin’s urine in order to purify it (2).
The majority of scholars hold that keeping oneself free from impurity is a condition for the validity of prayer, and that if a person does not do so, his prayer is invalid (3).
Some scholars hold that it is not a condition for validity, but rather an obligation. Thus, if someone prays while carrying impurity, he is sinful, but his prayer is valid (4).
The stronger view is that of the majority, because this obligation is specific to prayer. Whatever is obligatory in an act of worship, its deliberate omission invalidates it. Accordingly, we say that the stronger view is that his prayer is invalid. It is as though he were told: “Do not pray while in contact with this impurity.” If