He was also asked:

Is it permissible to spread a prayer rug in the blessed Rawdah (Garden)?

He replied:

No one may spread anything out to reserve a place for himself while he is absent, thereby preventing others from using it. This is an unlawful appropriation of that space and prevents Muslims from performing the prayer that Allah Most High has commanded. The Sunnah is to come early in person. Whoever reserves a place in advance with a prayer rug is acting unjustly and must be stopped. Such rugs must be removed, and people must be allowed to use the spaces they occupy.

Moreover, the very practice of spreading such rugs is a religious innovation, especially in the Prophet’s Mosque, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his Companions used to pray on the ground. The palm-leaf mat on which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed was small, not the size of a prayer rug.

I said: Ibn Hazm related in al-Muhallā, on the authority of ‘Atā’ ibn Abī Rabāh, that