191 – Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) related that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “When any one of you stands for prayer, he must not wipe away the pebbles, for mercy is facing him.” The Five transmitted the report with an authentic chain of narration.

Ahmad adds: “Do it once, or leave it.” (1) There is a similar narration in the Sahih from Muʿayqib, though without the explanatory clause. (2)

Hadith grading:
The author states that its chain is sound, for the Five collected it with an authentic isnad. As for the addition, “for mercy is facing him,” its chain contains Abu al-Ahwas. Al-Albani noted that only Ibn Hibban declared him reliable, so his uprightness and precision are not firmly established.

Vocabulary of the hadith:
• Wiping (al-masḥ): to pass one’s hand over something in order to remove whatever dust, water, and the like clings to it. Al-Miṣbāḥ says: “Masḥtu al-shayʾa masḥan – I passed my hand over it.”
• Pebbles (al-ḥaṣā): the small particles of earth that adhere to the places of prostration. Mentioning pebbles is illustrative, because that was what generally covered the ground on which they prayed.
• Mercy (al-raḥma): the verbal noun of raḥima–yaraḥamu; here it denotes pardon and forgiveness.
• “For mercy is facing him”: this provides the rationale for the prohibition of wiping, lest the worshiper distract his mind from the very cause that brings down mercy.