–namely, the Prophet’s words (peace and blessings be upon him): “Whoever seizes so much as a handspan of land unjustly, Allah will collar him with it on the Day of Resurrection—clamped upon him from the seven earths.”

This, then, is what is meant by usurped land: property an oppressor takes without right, barring the true owner from it. Because praying on such land amounts to benefiting from it and occupying it with worship while it is unlawfully held, the prayer performed there is invalid. It is therefore included among the sites the jurists have listed where prayer does not count.

Question: Does “usurped land” refer only to land taken from a private individual, or does it also cover government property—remote from towns—that someone fences off or revives and the like? Does that fall under usurpation?

Answer: What is meant by “usurped” is land wrested from its lawful owner without right—land an oppressor snatches away from someone who possesses it through a sound, legitimate title. That, and only that, is the usurped land.

***

Praying in a House That Contains Pictures and Magazines

Question: What is the ruling on performing prayer in a house where there are pictures and magazines? Kindly inform us, and may Allah bless you.

Answer: It is a well-established teaching of Islam that making images, taking photographs, and keeping pictures are all forbidden. Numerous authentic hadiths from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) contain stern prohibitions and severe warnings, showing that image-making is among the major sins and emphatically unlawful. This is because it leads to grave dangers. First and foremost, it constitutes an imitation of Allah’s creation—an attempt to rival Him in an act that is His alone. For He is al-Khāliq (the Creator), al-Bāriʾ (the Originator), al-Muṣawwir (the Fashioner); to Him belong the Most Beautiful Names.