Mahali ambapo sala inaruhusiwa, kwa mujibu wa maoni ya baadhi ya wanazuoni wa fiqhi, ni yale yote yasiyo na najisi. Baadhi ya wanazuoni wa fiqhi wameondoa maeneo saba katika haya: jaa la takataka, machinjio, makaburini, barabarani, bafu la umma, sehemu wanamopiga magoti ngamia, na paa la Nyumba ya Allah (Al-Ka'bah). Wengine wameondoa makaburi peke yake, huku wengine wakiondoa makaburi na bafu la umma. Baadhi yao wameona kuswali katika maeneo haya yasiyopendeza kuwa ni makruhu tu, lakini hawakuibatilisha sala; hii ni riwaya moja kutoka kwa Malik. Ruhusa ya kuswali huko pia imesimuliwa kutoka kwake, ambayo ni riwaya ya Ibn al-Qasim.

The places in which prayer is permissible, in the opinion of some jurists, are all those that are free from .uncleanliness. Some jurists exempted seven places out of these: the dunghill (garbage area), the slaughterhouse, the graveyard, the roadway, the public bath, the kneelingplace of camels, and the roof of the House of Allah (Ka<ba). Others made an exemption for the graveyard alone, while some others exempted the graveyard and the public-bath. Some of them deemed praying in these undesirable places as merely abominable, but did not invalidate the prayer; this is one narration from Malik. The permissibility of such prayer is also related from him, which is Ibn al-Qasim’s narration.

Sababu ya kutofautiana inatokana na mgongano wa maana za wazi za hadithi kuhusu suala hili. Kuna hadithi mbili zilizokubaliwa, na mbili zilizo na mzozo. Hadithi zilizokubaliwa ni kauli ya Mtume ﷺ: "Nimepewa mambo saba ambayo hayakupewa mtu yeyote kabla yangu ... [Akataja ndani yake]: Ardhi imefanywa kuwa msikiti kwangu na chombo cha kujitakasia, kwa hiyo popote wakati wa sala unaponipata, ninaswali." Hadithi nyingine inasema: "Pambeni nyumba zenu kwa sala zenu ndani yake mara kwa mara, wala msizigeuze kuwa makaburi." Kuhusu hadithi zenye mzozo, moja ni ripoti kwamba Mtume ﷺ alikataza kuswali mahali saba: jaa la taka, mahali pa kuchinjia wanyama, makaburini, njiani, katika bafu la umma, mahali ngamia wanapopiga magoti, na juu ya paa la Nyumba ya Mwenyezi Mungu. Imepokewa na al-Tirmidhi. Ya pili ni ripoti kwamba Mtume ﷺ alisema: "Swalini mahali pa kupumzikia ng'ombe, lakini msiswali mahali pa kupigia magoti ngamia."

The reason for disagreement arises from the conflict of the apparent meanings of traditions on the issue. There are two traditions on the issue that are agreed upon, while two are disputed. The traditions agreed upon are the sayings of the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him), “I have been granted seven things that were not granted to anyone before me .. . [He mentioned within this]: The earth has been made a mosque for me and a means of purification, so wherever the time of prayer overtakes me, I pray”. The other tradition says, “Enliven your homes with your prayers in them occasionally, and do not convert them into graveyards”. As to the disputed traditions, one report is “that the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) proscribed prayers in seven places: the dunghill, the place for slaughtering animals, .the graveyard, the roadway, the public bath, the kneeling places of camels, and the roof of the House of Allah”. It has been recorded by al-TirmidhT. The second is the report that Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him) said, “Pray in the resting places of cattle, but do not pray in the kneeling places of camels”.

Wanafikih walitofautiana kuhusu hadithi hizi kwa sababu ya kutumia mbinu tatu. Ya kwanza ni mbinu ya kupendelea na kufuta hukumu (tarjīḥ na naskh). Ya pili ni mbinu ya kujenga mahususi juu ya ya jumla, yaani, kujenga yaliyo mahususi juu ya yaliyo ya jumla. Ya tatu ni mbinu ya kupatanisha. Wale waliofuata mbinu ya kupendelea na kufuta walifuata hadithi maarufu, maneno ya Mtume ﷺ: "Ardhi imefanywa kuwa msikiti kwangu na chombo cha kujitakasa." Walisema kwamba hadithi hii inafuta zile zinazopingana nayo, kwa kuwa inahesabu fadhila alizopewa Mtume ﷺ, na jambo hili haliwezi kufutwa, kwa kuwa kufutwa ni katika kundi la hukumu (aḥkām). Wale waliofuata mbinu ya kujenga mahususi juu ya ya jumla walisema kwamba hadithi kuhusu ruhusa ni ya jumla, ilhali hadithi inayokataza ni mahususi; kwa hiyo inalazimu kwamba yaliyo mahususi yajengwe juu ya yaliyo ya jumla. Baadhi ya wanazuoni hawa (wanaotumia mbinu hii) waliyatoa nje maeneo saba, na baadhi yao waliyatoa nje bafu la umma na makaburi tu, wakisema kwamba hili ndilo lililothibitika kutoka kwa Mtume ﷺ, kwani imepokewa kwamba yeye pia aliyakataza kwa kujitegemea. Baadhi yao waliyatoa nje makaburi tu kwa sababu ya hadithi iliyotangulia. Wale waliofuata mbinu ya kupatanisha, ambao hawakutoa mahususi nje ya ya jumla, walisema kwamba hadithi zinazokataza zieleweke kama karaha, na zile nyingine zieleweke kama ruhusa.

The jurists were divided over these traditions because of the employment of three methods. The first is the method of preference and abrogation. The second is the method of structuring, that is, structuring the particular upon the general. The third is the method of reconciliation. Those who adopted the method of preference and abrogation followed the widely known tradition, the words of the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him), “The earth has been made a mosque for me and a means of purification”. They maintained that this tradition abrogates those that conflict with it, as it counts the merits granted to the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him), and this cannot be abrogated, as abrogation belongs to the category of rules (ahkdm). Those who adopted the method of structuring the particular upon the general said that the tradition about permissibility is general whereas the proscribing tradition is particular; therefore it is necessary that the particular be structured upon the general. Some of these jurists (who apply this method) excluded the seven places, while some of them excluded only the public bath and the graveyard, saying that this is what is established from the Prophet (God’s peace and blessings be upon him), as it is related that he also proscribed them independently. Some excluded only the graveyard due to the preceding tradition. Those who adopted the method of reconciliation, not excluding the particular from the general, said that the proscribing traditions are to be construed for abomination, and the others for permissibility.

Walikuwa na tofauti za maoni kuhusu kuswali katika masinagogi na makanisa. Kundi moja liliona kuwa ni jambo lenye karaha, huku kundi jingine likiruhusu. Kundi la tatu lilifanya tofauti kwa msingi wa kuwepo kwa picha, ambayo ndiyo maoni ya Ibn ‘Abbas kutokana na kauli ya ‘Umar, “Hatuingii katika makanisa yao kwa sababu ya picha”. Hata hivyo, sababu ya msingi kwa maoni ya wale waliolichukulia kuwa ni chukizo si picha, bali uwezekano wa kuwepo kwa najisi (najasa).

They disagreed about praying in synagogues and churches. One group considered it as reprehensible, while another permitted it. A third group made a distinction on the basis of the existence of figures, which is Ibn ‘Abbas’s opinion because of TJmar’s statement, “We do not enter their churches because of the images”. The underlying cause, however, for the opinion of those who considered it abominable is not the images, but the probability of the existence of uncleanliness (najdsa).

Walitofautiana kuhusu kuswali juu ya ardhi (tupu) na juu ya mazulia na vitu vingine vinavyotumika kukalia chini. Wengi wao wanashikilia kuwa ni halali kusujudu juu ya mikeka na vitu vingine vinavyofanana nayo vilivyotengenezwa kwa vitu vinavyotokana na ardhi, na wanaona kwamba vingine vyote ni chukizo, ambayo ni maoni ya Malik bin Anas.

They disagreed about prayer on the (bare) ground and on carpets and other things used for sitting on the ground. The majority maintain the permissibility of prostrating on mats and other similar things made of material produced by the land, and deem the rest as abominable, which is Malik ibn Anas’s opinion.