Will shaitan pray on an open prayer mat? Why fold corners?

Do I need to fold my prayer mat after use? Should I fold the corner? Will Shaytan pray there if I leave the prayer mat open?

Many people fold the corner of their prayer mat after Salah.

But why?

There is a popular opinion that Shaytan prays on an open prayer mat.

But, is this true?

And if not, then why fold a prayer mat in the first place?

Why fold a prayer mat

There is one hadith which specifies we should fold our clothes after use.

“The Noble Messenger of Allāh Almighty ﷺ states, ‘You should fold your clothes such that the clothes feel comfort because the Devil does not wear the clothes that he sees as folded, and he uses those that he sees left spread out unfolded.’” [al-Mu’jam al-Awsat, vol. 6, p. 328, Hadīth no. 5698]

Seekers Path

While this does not mention prayer mats, one may wish to fold their mat given we are advised to fold other material.

However, there is no mention of folding the corners or of Shaytan in this Hadith.

In fact, the concept of a prayer mat came later.

Prayer Mats Were never a thing in Islam

Early Muslims prayed on sand or at home on the floor.

Why?

According to a Hadith, the entire earth is a prayer mat:

Abu Sa’id al-Khudri reported: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The entire earth has been made a place of prayer, except for graveyards and washrooms.”

Source: Sunan al-Tirmidhī 317

However, it makes sense to place a mat down if the floor is unclean. Hence, the concept of a prayer mat was born.

Sheikh Assim Al-Hakeem has a strong opinion on prayer mats in Islam:

So, if the concept of a prayer mat was not there at the time of the prophet, how can we say Shaytan prays on them?

Does Shaytan Pray on an open prayer mat

The short answer is no.

There is no evidence to suggest Shaytan prays on an open prayer mat based on the opinions of various scholars and students of knowledge. (I am not a scholar myself so always do your research).

In fact, Shytan refused to bow down to Adam when he was instructed to do so.

And as We said to the Angels, “Prostrate (yourselves) to ??dam.” So they prostrated themselves, except Iblis. He said, “Shall I prostrate myself to (one) whom You created of clay?

(Quran 17:61)

So, why would he start praying on a prayer mat?

Funny Concept

Let’s assume the myth was true, and Shaytan prayed on open prayer mats. My response would be:

What’s wrong with Shaytan praying? (lol)

I think it would look something like this:

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Conclusion

There is no evidence to suggest Shaytan prays on an open prayer mat. Therefore, there is no need to fold the corners of it. However, one may wish to fold and put away their prayer mat for other reasons. Such as the Hadith about folding your clothes.

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