except that it elevates him and raises his rank—even if he happens to be in a place where he is not permitted to remain—for the act itself is one matter and staying in that place is another.

Hence the weightier opinion among the scholars is that if someone prays on usurped land, his prayer remains valid, because the prohibition concerns the act of usurpation, not the prayer itself. The ban addresses something other than the prayer, so the prayer offered in the stolen location is sound, though the worshipper is sinful for remaining on that unlawfully seized ground. Had an explicit text from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stated, “Do not pray on usurped land,” we would have ruled, “If you pray there, your prayer is invalid,” just as we say that a prayer performed in a graveyard or a bathhouse is invalid—apart from the funeral prayer, which is permitted even in a cemetery.

Another benefit of this hadith is that whenever a person spends anything seeking Allah’s Face, he is rewarded for it—even expenditures on his family, his wife, and even on himself. If he seeks Allah’s pleasure through that spending, Allah will reward him for it.

The hadith also hints that one should consciously maintain the intention of drawing near to Allah in