from it, or comes into contact with it by means of his garment or body, his prayer is invalid.

If he covers impure ground with clay, or lays something pure over it, this is disliked, though the prayer is valid.

The author’s statement, “or comes into contact with it by means of his garment or body, his prayer is invalid,” means that if the worshipper directly contacts the impurity with his garment or body, his prayer is invalid.

For example, if a man leans against an impure wall, we say: he has come into contact with the impurity. Or if, while sitting for the testimony of faith or between the two prostrations, there is something impure beside him and he places his hand upon it, then he has come into contact with it, and his prayer is invalid.

If his garment touches something impure without his leaning upon it, however, the scholars have said that this does no harm (1), because this is not a stable contact. Thus, if a person praying bows and his garment touches an impure wall, without his leaning against it, this has no effect, because he did not rely upon it; hence, this is not regarded as contact.

If a man prays on a rug containing an impure spot, and when he prostrates that spot lies between his knees and hands, his prayer is valid, because he has neither come into contact with it nor carried it. All the more so, if the impurity is at the side of one corner of the rug, his prayer is valid, because he has not come into contact with it.

The author’s statement, “If he covers impure ground with clay, or lays something pure over it, this is disliked, though the prayer is valid,” comprises two rulings. If he covers impure ground with clay—that is, coats it with clay—or if it is cemented or asphalted, the same applies. If he then prays upon this clay with which the ground has been covered, the author mentions two rulings concerning it:

The first: it is disliked.