A week ago Friday I was gifted with an absolutely, stunningly beautiful prayer rug. It was a total surprise, given to me by AK’s mother. Needless to say I was so touched, so honored and so grateful. You shall see a photograph, it is the most beautiful color I have ever seen. It is her favorite color, the color of the blue topaz ring I purchased in the Tubak region at a museum of artifacts. (There is an Instagram reel, I shall attempt to link it).
I knew prayer rugs are an essential element in the Islamic Faith but did not know why. You and I shall discover together the origins and history.
Wikipedia is a major source of research as it is ‘fact checked’ – citations must be provided by its authors. I do have a Wikipedia history but now is not the time for that tale telling. Later, alligator.
(See You Later Alligator is actually a song. Lyrics for See You Later Alligator – The Goodbye Song: See you later, alligator In a while, crocodile Gotta go, buffalo See you soon, raccoon Be sweet, parakeet Take care, polar bear In a shake, garter snake Hit the road, happy toad Can’t stay, blue jay Bye-bye, butterfly Give a hug, ladybug Toodle-loo, kangaroo Time.
That was known as a digression. Back to learning about prayer rugs.
Wikipedia begins its journey in the following manner.
“A prayer rug or prayer mat is a piece of fabric, sometimes a pile carpet, used by Muslims, some Christians and some Baha’i during prayer.In Islam, a prayer mat is placed between the ground and the worshipper for cleanliness during the various positions of Islamic prayer. These involve prostration and sitting on the ground. A Muslim must perform wudu (ablution) before prayer, and must pray in a clean place.”
Wikipedia segues into a discussion of prayer rug’s ‘manufacture’.
“Many new prayer mats are manufactured by weavers in a factory. The design of a prayer mat is based on the village it came from and its weaver. These rugs are usually decorated with many beautiful geometric patterns and shapes. They are sometimes even decorated with images. These images are usually important Islamic landmarks, such as the Kaaba, but they are never animate objects.[5] This is because the drawing of animate objects on Islamic prayer mats is forbidden .For Muslims, when praying, a niche, representing the mihrab of a mosque, at the top of the mat must be pointed to the Islamic center for prayer, Mecca. All Muslims are required to know the qibla or direction towards Mecca from their home or where they are while traveling. Oriental Orthodox Christians position their prayer rugs so that they face east, the direction of prayer towards which they offer prayer.”
Wikipedia continues to provide factual information regarding different faith’s use of prayer rugs. We shall focus upon the Islamic Faith, but it is fascinating. I urge you to read in its entirety.
In Islam
“In Islamic world there are two basic types of prayer rug, one designed with a single mihrab and meant for individual worship, the other with multiple niches and intended for a place of public prayer such as a mosque. This second type is known as saf.[16]
A prayer rug is characterized by a niche at one end, representing the mihrab in every mosque, a directional point to direct the worshipper towards Mecca.[17] Many rugs also show one or more mosque lamps,[17] a reference to the Verse of Light in the Qur’an. Specific mosques are sometimes shown; some of the most popular examples include the mosques in Mecca, Medina, and especially Jerusalem. After the advent of Islam, Muslims often depicted the Kaaba in order to distinguish themselves from Christian carpets.[5] Decorations not only play a role in imagery but serve the worshipper as aids to memory. Some of the examples include a comb and pitcher, which is a reminder for Muslims to wash their hands and for men to comb their hair before performing prayer. Another important use for decorations is to aid newly converted Muslims by stitching decorative hands on the prayer mat where the hands should be placed when performing prayer.
In Islam, the prayer rug has a very strong symbolic meaning and traditionally taken care of in a holy manner.[citation needed] It is disrespectful for one to place a prayer mat in a dirty location (as Muslims have to be clean to show their respect to God) or throw it around in a disrespectful manner.
Prayer rugs are usually made in the towns or villages of the communities who use them and are often named after the origins of those who deal and collect them. The exact pattern will vary greatly by original weavers and the different materials used. Some may have patterns, dyes and materials that are traditional/native to the region in which they were made. Prayer rugs’ patterns generally have a niche at the top, which is turned to face Mecca. During prayer the supplicant kneels at the base of the rug and places their hands at either side of the niche at the top of the rug, their forehead touching the niche. Typical prayer rug sizes are approximately 2.5 ft × 4 ft (0.76 m × 1.22 m) to 4 ft × 6 ft (1.2 m × 1.8 m), enough to kneel above the fringe on one end and bend down and place the head on the other.”
There are illustrations of some ancient prayer rugs which are displayed in museums. It is fascinating to look at the location of these museums – all over the Western world. It is most gratifying to observe, and appreciate, that the Islamic Faith is woven into these renowned museums.
More fascinating facts are about to be yours. The Wikipedia heading is Islamic Rugs in Lutheran Churches.
The Saxon Lutheran Churches, parish storerooms and museums of Transylvania safeguard about four hundred Anatolian rugs, dating from the late-15th to early 18th century. They form the richest and best-preserved corpus of prayer-format rugs of Ottoman period outside Turkey.
The Wikipedia knowledge does not, for me anyway, end on a high note.
“Interactive prayer mats, also known as smart prayer mats or digital prayer rugs, are a recent development in the field of prayer rugs. These mats are designed to enhance the spiritual experience of Muslims during prayer by incorporating technology into the traditional practice of prayer, and for educational purposes.”
If it is all the same to you I do not want, nor shall I ever covet, a smart prayer mat. I hate competition. Obligatory prayers are times with our Creator, not times to compete with some computer nerd. So there! So there! So there!
So there (said three times) is an expression of old. Prior to my reversion to the Islamic Faith I was more than a little assertive – bordering on aggressive was I on occasion.. Being an assertive Muslim woman is, and should be, encouraged. But not aggression – in neither men, nor women.
Learning of prayer rugs has special meaning at this time.
Alter Ego: Why is that?
Me: My precious Indigenous-Muslim prayer rug purchased in August 2022 at the Muslim Cultural Festival in Edmonton was left behind in my prayer room
Alter Ego: And? What is the dilemma?
Me; Is my beautiful gifted prayer rug a God given substitution or shall I return to Edmonton and bring it to my new home in Saudi Arabia?
Alter Ego: What will you do?
Me: I am sure Allah (SWT) will find a solution and then let me in on it.
To let someone in on it is to allow someone to become involved in something that only few people are are involved in.
That is true about my Edmonton prayer rug – no one else is involved in the dilemma. I am sure Allah (SWT) will find a solution so defer to Allah (SWT). Defer is a phrasal verb defer (someone) is to allow someone else to decide or choose something.
There are many photographs of prayer rugs I have known. I shall go through my photos, show you and tell you about them.
The first you shall see (hopefully) was presented under highly unusual circumstances. I was living in Abu Dhabi – decided to take a short hop to Qatar. This was during pre- World Cup, Covid days. There was an App that I could download, but even with help of Ethiad Airline Staff. I arrived fully vaccinated with a current PCR but with no App I was considered a danger. Therefore, I was placed in quarantine. Not allowed out of my hotel room for four of the five days sojourn. It was with considerable relief I found the prayer mat and Quran. I did have a room with a view so was able to view the massive construction that preceded the World Cup, view humane working conditions and see from afar The National Museum. I emerged from ‘jail’ on the last day. Massive construction, roadways blocked made it almost impossible to walk to the National Museum, where I was treated quite rudely. The prayer rug brought comfort in the midst of chaos.
Also pictured are two prayer rugs from stays at hotels in Saudi Arabia. The colorful one from the Riyadh Hilton and the one with the Kaaba from the Medina Oberlio Hotel,
You shall see my ‘left behind’ precious Indigenous-Muslim rug. I like to think it is awaiting my return – if so it shall be brief – to gather it up moving it from a Muslim minority country to a country where almost everyone is Muslim. It will be happier here,
Then the last, the colors are a beautiful shade of blue. It is luxuriously thick, offering comfort and cleanliness as I prostrate in prayer.
As I write there is news from Israel. The Palestinians are finally fighting back. I was actually not aware of this when I took my early morning walk on the grounds of the Prophet’s Mosque. A women clad head to toe in black with only her eyes showing forbid my wearing of the scarf.
Unbelievable but true. I defended myself but it was rather unnecessary. I was surrounded by five other woman – we were in conversation when she interrupted. The jumped to my defense. The poor woman, fled to her phone. She was perhaps calling for reinforcements. If so, they did not arrive. More about the events of the day in tomorrow’s blog.
