Should a prayer rug look Islamic?

Question

From my experience, prayer rugs tend to be fairly similar to one another. I'm not sure if this is considered an important part of prayer, or just a habit that people have gotten in over time. Here's a random one from the web:

Question: Should a prayer rug look Islamic?

As I understand, it is not necessary to even use one. But if one does, does it need to look the part? Or would anything comfortable and clean (and not un-Islamic) be just as suitable?

I'm thinking of getting a rug so I can pray in the office, but something that doesn't look like a prayer rug.

Answer 1

Assalamu Alaikum. No it does not have to look a certain way. As long as where you place your hands and head down when in sajood, is a clean pure area, you should be fine. Just make sure that theres no images on it. (Ex. Faces, animals, etc..) I've seen ladies use scarfs on the floor as a prayer mat. I hope this answers your question, and Allah knows best.

Salam.

Answer 2

As Hanuna stated in her answer a prayer rug or carpet or anything you pray on has no predefined look based on shari'a. But the most important is that it doesn't distract you from praying, so that you may loose your concentration. This also applies to anything in the room especially in the direction of the Qiblah (I miss a Question on this topic on our site). This is what you should have in mind when making a choice for the rug. I'd recommend simplicity but honestly I often even pray directly on the ground when I know the place is clean.

So for example geometrical drawings or settings would be allowed, but images of living things not.

See also this salafi fatwa.