“The earth has been made for me a place of prayer and a means of purification” (1). These places are part of the earth; they are a means of purification, and there is nothing in them that prevents prayer.

As for the evidence for its being disliked, they say: because these are places in which prayer has been prohibited, it is disliked to face them in prayer (2).

Someone may perhaps reason that this is a place regarding the validity of prayer in which the scholars have differed; thus, praying toward it is disliked in order to avoid the disagreement.

Both lines of reasoning are unsound. As for the first, it may be said that the general meaning of the Prophet’s saying, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, “The earth has been made for me a place of prayer and a means of purification” (3), encompasses these places. Thus, excluding any of them requires evidence. Yet we may perhaps say that it is disliked to pray facing a toilet or a bathhouse, because they contain unpleasant odours that may harm or distract the worshipper. Anything that affects and distracts the worshipper is disliked.

As for camel enclosures, we may perhaps say that if the camels are present and lying down, it may be disliked to pray facing them, since they may move, groan, or the like, thereby affecting him in his prayer and distracting him. If they are absent, however, there is no basis for deeming it disliked—unless there is an odour present.

As for usurped property, there is no basis for deeming it disliked to pray facing it.

As for a graveyard, the correct view is that it is forbidden to pray facing it. Indeed, the view that such prayer is invalid would have some basis (4). This is because it is authentically reported from the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, in the hadith of Abu Marthad al-Ghanawi that he said: “Do not sit upon graves, nor pray facing them” (5). This indicates that it is forbidden to pray facing a graveyard, graves, or even a single grave.

Moreover, the reason for prohibiting prayer in a graveyard is also present in praying toward a grave. So long as a person faces a grave or a graveyard in such a manner that it may be said that he is praying toward it, he falls under the prohibition; and when he falls under