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Fatwa CenterUsing the prayer mat to indicate the direction of Qiblah is not an innovation
Question
Most of the mosques in western countries are homes which are used as mosques, that is to say the one who enters them does not know the direction of Qiblah if he is not usually praying in the place. So I put a prayer mat (where the Imaam stands) on the carpet and there is on it a picture of a mosque so that a stranger would know that this is the direction of Qiblah. However, some brothers removed it on the grounds that this is an innovation. What is your opinion on this?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger. We ask Allaah to exalt his mention as well as that of his family and all his companions.
Thank you very much for what you did and you will be rewarded for it, Allaah willing, and this is not an innovation. Rather, it is a beneficial act as it directs the stranger to the direction of Qiblah. Therefore, it is permissible to use the prayer mat like other means in order to indicate the Qiblah for a person who does not know it.
Allaah Knows best.
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