all the time, but only occasionally. It appears that he used it to shield himself from intense heat and for similar purposes, as indicated by the previously mentioned hadith of Abū Sa‘īd, who saw traces of water and mud on his forehead and nose. Thus, this provides no evidence for someone who adopts a prayer rug on which he always prays.

Second, they have mentioned that it covered only the place where he prostrated; it was not like a prayer rug large enough to accommodate his entire body. It appears that he used it to protect himself from the heat. This is what the scholars of uncommon hadith vocabulary have stated. They said:

“A khumrah is like a small mat, made of palm fronds woven together with leather thongs and threads. It is large enough for the face and nose to rest upon; if it is larger than that, it is called a mat. It was given this name because it shields the face and ankles from the heat and cold of the ground.”

It has also been said that it is so named because it covers, or shields, the worshipper’s face; or because its threads are concealed by its palm fronds.

One of them commented on the hadith of Ibn ‘Abbās:

“A mouse came and began dragging the wick in front of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, onto the small mat on which he was sitting, burning an area of it the size of a dirham.”

He said: “This clearly indicates that the term khumrah can also apply to a larger mat of this kind.”

However, the authenticity of this hadith is not known. Moreover, sitting on it does not indicate that it was long enough to pray upon, so this does not contradict what they have stated.

Third, the small prayer mat was not used to avoid or guard against impurities