Buddhist Catholic Contemplative Evangelical General Christian Hindu Jewish Latter-day Saint Muslim New Visions Progressive Christian

Beliefs

Topics

Columnists

Resource Library

Research Tools

Video

Podcasts

Thought Readers

Faith In Media Tracker

Newsletters

Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In Subscription Support

Follow Patheos

Home
Religion News
What are Muslim prayer rugs?

What are Muslim prayer rugs?

Last updated on: January 29, 2019 at 7:31 pm by The Conversation

What are Muslim prayer rugs? 2019-01-29T19:31:04-05:00 The Conversation

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

In this photo taken on Thursday Jan. 27, 2011, Producer-writer, Khadijah Rashid prays at her home in Pasadena, Calif. Rashid started her production company “Muslimah Movies” in order to tell the true story of Muslim-Americans as they really are in their daily lives. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

By Rose S. Aslan, California Lutheran University

In a recent tweet, President Trump stated that ranchers have been finding prayer rugs scattered along the U.S.-Mexico border. Late last year, he tweeted that “criminals and unknown Middle Easterners” were mixed in with the caravan heading to the U.S.

My research indicates that Islamophobia often targets visible signs of Muslimness, such as modest clothing like headscarves, as well as prayer rituals and mosques. This time it is the prayer rug.

These fearmongering tweets bear an uncanny resemblance to a 2018 action film, “Sicario: Day of the Soldado.” Its trailer shows a scene of a Muslim man praying and a row of prayer rugs at the border. In the movie, U.S. officials who find the rugs use them as “evidence” that Muslims are entering the U.S. illegally in order to expand the jurisdiction of the war on terror.

Other than these recent mentions, carpets found fame through Disney’s “Aladdin,” where they were imagined to have the power to fly. However, prayer carpets actually have a much more mundane daily use among Muslims.

Much more than a plain carpet

Ritual purity is extremely important for Muslim prayers practices. As Islamic studies scholar Marion Katz explains, prayer carpets provide a protective layer between the worshiper and the ground, protecting the clothing from anything on ground that is polluting.

A prayer niche in a mosque.
Roy Luck, CC BY

Muslim carpets have been traditionally produced for centuries in Muslim majority regions, sometimes known as “the rug belt,” spanning from Morocco to Central Asia and northern India. There is a wide variety of designs and materials. Islamic art historian Walter B. Denny, in “How to Read Islamic Carpets,” explains the different materials and symbolism in weaves used in these carpets.

For example, it is common to find symbols such as the prayer niche, a recess in the wall indicating the direction of Mecca; also a lamp, which is a reference to God; as well as flowers and trees that symbolize the abundance of nature in God’s paradise.

Prayer carpets that are used in homes are generally sized for one individual. Those used in mosques are much bigger, often with a motif showing a row of arches to indicate where each worshiper should stand in prayer.

Prayer carpets in mosques have a row of arches.
AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Islamic carpets have been popular for centuries in Europe and beyond, often picking up symbolism, social meaning and ways of being used. Islamic carpets were popular among the wealthy of Europe, displayed proudly on the floor of their living rooms and on the walls.

Carpets designs have come down through generations. Some depict simple geometric patterns in rough wool, while other are produced by professional artisans for the elite and show hunting scenes and elaborate scenes of paradise.

Different costs and forms of practice

Practices vary according to personal and sectarian preference among Muslims.

For everyday use, Muslims purchase simple prayer carpets, mass-produced in Turkey, throughout the Middle East and even China. For use outside, they often carry a thinner travel rug. There are also high-priced versions. An antique carpet was auctioned for US$4.3 million in 2009 and an Ottoman-era prayer rug sold for $30,000 in 2015.

Not all sects of Muslims use the prayer carpet. Shiite Muslims usually pray on a clay disk called a “turba” in Arabic and “mohr” in Persian. This disk is often made from soil from Karbala, the place of martyrdom of Hussein, Prophet Muhammad’s grandson in today’s Iraq, or another sacred site.

Shiite Muslims use a clay disk.

They often place the disk on top of a prayer carpet. When Shiites prostrate their foreheads on the floor during prayer, they want their forehead to be in contact with an organic material rather than the synthetic fibers of a carpet. So, depending on circumstance, they might also place any natural material such as a small straw mat where they pray.

It is highly unlikely for Muslims to leave behind their prayer rugs or to even carry one on a perilous journey through the harsh desert. The Conversation

Rose S. Aslan, Assistant Professor of Religion, California Lutheran University

This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.

Previous Post

January 25, 2019

Digital Technology Offers New Ways to Teach Lessons From the Holocaust

Next Post

February 1, 2019 How Howard Thurman Brought Nonviolence From Gandhi to Martin Luther King and the Civil Rights Movement

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Story of God Uncategorized

Select a Month September 2022 August 2022 January 2022 December 2021 August 2021 July 2021 February 2021 January 2021 January 2020 December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 November 2017 October 2017 August 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 October 2014 September 2014 July 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

What did Solomon ask God for when he became king?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Wisdom Long life Victory Riches