The Book on Salat (Prayer) - Jami' at-Tirmidhi

Hadith Reference: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 317

Hadith Text

Allah's Messenger said: "All of the earth is a Masjid except for the graveyard and the washroom."

Commentary on the Meaning

This noble hadith establishes the fundamental principle that the entire earth has been made pure and suitable for prayer by divine decree. This reflects Allah's mercy upon the Muslim ummah, facilitating worship without restriction to specific locations.

The exception of graveyards serves to prevent imitation of earlier nations who worshipped graves and to maintain proper respect for the deceased. The exclusion of washrooms is due to their inherent impurity and the presence of najasah (ritual impurities), making them unsuitable for the sanctity of prayer.

Juridical Implications

This hadith forms the basis for the permissibility of praying anywhere on earth without requiring a formally designated mosque, provided the place is pure and free from impurities.

Scholars have derived from this that when no pure ground is available, one may pray on any surface, demonstrating the ease and accessibility Islam provides for fulfilling this fundamental pillar of faith.

Spiritual Significance

This teaching transforms the entire world into a place of worship, reminding believers that every location can become a site for connecting with the Divine. It emphasizes that sanctity comes from intention and devotion rather than physical structures.

The prohibition against graveyards and washrooms teaches us to maintain distinctions between spaces of remembrance, purity, and those associated with worldly functions or potential deviations in worship.