Prayer in Usurped Area
Question :

I offered the prayer in an usurped place without knowing that it is actually usurped. Is my prayer valid?

Answer :

Yes, it is valid provided that other conditions of the prayer are fulfilled, such as the intention of seeking closeness to Almighty Allah.

Prayer on a Usurped Place
Question :

A person is a tenant of a property owned by a Shia Waqf organization. That person refuses to pay the agreed rent amount. Can such a person offer prayers in his house where the arrears are still outstanding and are such prayers valid?

Answer :

If the said property is used by a person without paying its due rent then he is considered as a ghasib (usurper) and the prayer in such a place - if he is attentive of the fact that it is prohibited - is void.

Usurped
Question :

There is a company which has a prayer room for employees. But that company generates haram income and rent is paid from that income. Is it permitted to offer our prayers in that room?

Answer :

The prayer is correct in the room as long as the room itself is not usurped, even if the rent is paid using a prohibited source.

Prayer in the Outdoor
Question :

Sometimes, when I am travelling or commuting, I have to pray on the outdoors somewhere by the street; otherwise the prayer time will end. Is this permissible?

Answer :

It is permissible to offer the prayer in the streets, but one should take off his shoes.

Not Paying Tax
Question :

If live in a town in the UK. If I register with the council or let them know that I am living here, the government will make me pay council tax every month. If I do not register or don't pay this tax, will my prayer be valid here in my apartment, while I do pay my rent to the landlord as normal?

Answer :

This will not make your prayers there invalid.

Fake Asylum
Question :

If someone travels to a non-Muslim country and claims asylum on a fake story and gives false information, and his claim was accepted, is his prayer and fasting valid as long as he stays in this country?

Answer :

The acts of worships are not affected by this.

A Mosque on a Government Property
Question :

The mosque in our city was built on a government property. It was vacant when the mosque was built. Those who built the mosque are willing to pay the cost of the plot when the government asks them to pay. Can we pray in the mosque?

Answer :

It is permissible to pray in the said mosque.

Praying in the Same Room
Question :

If a man and a woman are praying in the same room, how far apart they must be from each other.

Answer :

It is permissible for the man and woman to pray next to each other, although it is disliked. Such dislike can be avoided when the position of the man is ahead of the woman, in such a way that when she prostrates her forehead would be adjacent to his knees. It is better that the man's position is ahead of that of the woman's by a distance of a step.

Prayer on Top of the Ka'ba
Question :

What is your ruling regarding offering the prayer on the top of Ka'ba or inside it?

Answer :

It is permissible in both of the mentioned cases.

Prostrating on the Rock
Question :

Why do we pray on the rock? And is it prohibited to pray on carpet like Sunnis without a rock?

Answer :

Prayer is not valid on the carpet since prostration - based on the jurisprudence of the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them) - must be on natural earth like soil, stones, rocks and similar materials, or on what grows on earth provided that it is not consumed for food or worn as clothing. It is narrated - in both Sunni and Shia books of traditions - that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his holy progeny) said: "Earth is made for me as a place of prostration and a purifying agent". Some Sunni books of narrations state that the Prophet (peace be upon him and his progeny) used to have a piece of cloth in which he put soil in it and he opened it and prostrated on the soil.

The Turbah with the Name of Imam Hussein
Question :

Is it permissible to prostrate on a Turbah that bears the name of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him) or the image of his shrine?

Answer :

Yes, it is permissible.

The Color of the Turbah
Question :

If the color of the Sajda-gah (Soil of Karbala on which we bow our head in front of God) is changed, Can we pray on it and is the prayer valid?

Answer :

Yes, it is permissible to prostrate on it.

Prostrating on Rough Sand
Question :

Is it allowed to prostrate on rough sand or it must be rigid?

Answer :

It is permissible to prostrate during prayers on sand whether it is rough or rigid.

Prostrating on Glass
Question :

Is it allowed to prostrate on glass as it is extracted from sand and is not edible or wearable?

Answer :

It is not permissible to prostrate on glass.

Prostrating on Paper Towel
Question :

Can we do the prostration of prayers on a paper towel?

Answer :

If the paper towel is made of a substance upon which prostration is not correct, like cotton, then it is not permissible to prostrate on it. If it is made of a substance upon which prostration is correct, like wood, then it is permissible to prostrate on it. If the individual doubts or does not know the source of the towel then it is impermissible to prostrate on it.

Prostrating on Agate
Question :

While praying, is it permissible to perform prostration on the agate (aqeeq) of the ring you are wearing in case a turbah is not available?

Answer :

It is not sufficient to prostrate on the agate based on an obligatory precaution. When one loses the prostration clay (the turbah) during the prayer, one can cut the prayer, look for something else to be prostrated upon and repeat the prayer.

Prostration of the Prayers
Question :

I do not always prostrate in prayers on earth or something which grows from the earth. Will my prayer be void?

Answer :

Your prayer is valid only when you prostrate on something other than earth or what grows from it in the following cases:
(i) If you did so because you did not know that the material you prostrated on is not one on which prostration is required to be performed upon.
(ii) If you did so because you did not know that it is a condition in the prayer that you must prostrate on earth and the material that grows from it.
(iii) If you forget and did not pay attention until after performing the prostration.
(iv) If you did this out of fear - taqiyyah.
Otherwise the prayer is void and should be repeated.

Turbah
Question :

I notice that after using a Turbah for a long time, it becomes slightly to (eventually) very dark at the part that would make contact with my forehead, likely due to bodily oils and sweat over a long period of time. Is there a point when I can no longer pray on the turbah because the colour of it has changed significantly or can I always pray on it regardless?

Answer :

If this darkness on the surface of the Turbah does not become a barrier that prevents the forehead from coming in direct contact with the turbah, then it is permissible to prostrate on it.

Prostration in the Dark
Question :

Is it permissible to offer the prayer in the dark when one cannot see what he is prostrating upon?

Answer :

It is permissible to pray in the dark if prostration is done on what is permissible to prostrate upon. If prostration is not done so, then the prayer should be repeated based on compulsory precaution.

Prostrating on Carpet
Question :

Can I prostrate on carpet while praying with Sunnis in congregation or even without congregation?

Answer :

If doing so prevents harm or is out of fear, then it is permissible. Otherwise, it is not permissible to do so.