The Book of Mosques and Places of Prayer - Sahih Muslim 522a

The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: "We have been made to excel (other) people in three (things): Our rows have been made like the rows of the angels and the whole earth has been made a mosque for us, and its dust has been made a purifier for us in case water is not available." And he mentioned another characteristic too.

Scholarly Commentary

This noble hadith enumerates three distinctive honors bestowed upon the Ummah of Muhammad (ﷺ). The first excellence concerns the arrangement of prayer rows, which are to be straight and orderly, resembling the disciplined ranks of angels who stand in perfect obedience before Allah.

The second excellence is that the entire earth has been designated as a masjid for this Ummah, meaning that prayer is permissible anywhere upon it, provided the place is pure. This is a great facilitation not granted to previous nations.

The third excellence is the permission of tayammum (dry ablution) with pure dust when water is unavailable or its use would cause harm. This demonstrates the ease and mercy embedded within Islamic jurisprudence.

The mention of "another characteristic" indicates there are additional excellences, which scholars suggest may refer to the night prayer (Tahajjud) being specifically prescribed for this Ummah, or other distinctive virtues mentioned in complementary narrations.