Firstly, the default principle is that prayer is permissible and valid in every clean spot on earth, and there is no specific spot where prayer is accepted while another spot is not accepted, excluding what lacks the condition of cleanliness. The Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “I have been given five things which were not given to anyone else before me: I have been aided by terror (in the hearts of enemies) for a distance of one month’s journey; the earth has been made a place of worship and a means of purification for me, so whenever the time of prayer comes for any one of my Ummah, he should pray; and I have been granted the booty of war; intercession has been granted to me; and prophets used to be sent to their nations specifically, but I have been sent to all mankind.” [Agreed upon]. So, this default principle applies to all prayers.
Secondly, there are several narrations about changing the area of prayer, some of which are attributed to the Prophet and some are attributed to a companion of the Prophet, such as:
– Abū Dawūd narrated, following the chain of narrators of the Ḥadīth, from Abū Hurayrah that the Prophet, peace be upon him, said: “Is no anyone of you incapable of stepping forwards or backwards, or to his right or left, in prayer?” (meaning in the supererogatory prayer). In another narration mentioned by Al-Bukhāriy in his commentary on Abu Hurayrah’s narration, the Prophet, peace be upon him, said, “The Imam does not offer a voluntary prayer at his place (of leading the prayer).” These narrations rely on Layth ibn Abī Sulaym, who is weak as mentioned by a group of critics, including Al-Bukhāriy in “At-Tārīkh al-Kabīr” and Ad-Dāraquṭniy in “Al-ʽIlal”, and some of its parts is also narrated from ʼIbrāhīm ibn ʼIsmāʽīl whom Ar-Rāziy described as unknown. Therefore, these narrations with this description are not valid, as declared by Al-Bukhāriy and others.
– Muslim narrated from Muʽāwiyah (may Allāh be pleased with him) that he said: “If you offer the Friday prayer, do not connect it with another prayer, till you talk or go out. Allah’s Messenger (peace be upon him) had commanded us accordingly: That we should not connect a prayer to another prayer till we talk or go out (in between them).” Some scholars, such as An-Nawawiy who is a Shāfiʽīy scholar, understood from this narration that it is recommended to change the prayer area after performing the obligatory prayer.
– ʼAḥmad and others narrated from ʽAbd ar-Raḥmān ibn Shibl that he said: “I heard the Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) forbidding three things: a crow’s peck (An exaggerated way of speaking of a very short prostration), extending the forearms like a wild animal, and allocating the same place for prayer like a camel gets used to a certain place.” Imam Ibn Rajab commented on this narration as saying: its chain of narrators contains many disputes. Its chain contains Tamīm ibn Maḥmūd about whom Al-Bukhāriy said: his narrations are to be looked at with care. There are many narrations mentioned by Imam Adh-Dhahabiy in his book (Al-Muhadhdhab in Ikhtiṣār as-Sunan al-Kabīr by Al-Bayhaqiy) in which you can review such narrations.
Thirdly, the opinions of the Imams of the schools of thought regarding changing the area of prayer are as follows:
Here I will quote a text from Ibn Rajab Al-Ḥanbaliy’s book “Fatḥ al-Bāriy Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhāriy,” in which he summarizes the conditions of the Imam and the follower in this matter. He said, may Allah have mercy on him: “Scholars have differed regarding the voluntary prayer of the Imam in his place of prayer after the obligatory prayer. As for before it, it is permissible by consensus (as some of our companions – i.e., some of the Ḥanbaliys – said). Some scholars disliked it when the Imam performs a voluntary prayer in his place of prayer after the obligatory prayer, and this was the opinion of Al-ʼAwzāʽiy, Ath-Thawriy, Abū Ḥanīfah, Mālik, ʼAḥmad, and ʼIsḥāq. It was reported that ʽAliy, may Allah be pleased with him, disliked it, and An-Nakhaʽiy said, ‘Scholars used to dislike it.’ Ibn ʽAqīl among our companions allowed it, as Al-Bukhāriy favored this opinion and reported it from Ibn ʽUmar and Al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad. As for what was narrated from Ibn ʽUmar, he did not do it as an Imam, but he was a follower according to what Imam ʼAḥmad said.”
Most scholars do not dislike it for the follower to perform voluntary prayer in the same place after the obligatory prayer, which is the opinion of ʼAḥmad and Mālik. Abū Dawūd narrated a Ḥadīth that implies its dislike from the Ḥadīth of Abī Rimthah who said: “The Messenger of Allāh (peace be upon him) led us in prayer while Abū Bakr and ʽUmar were standing in the front row on his right and there was a man who had been present at the first takbir in the prayer. The Prophet of Allah (peace be upon him) offered the prayer, then gave the salutation to his right and his left so that we saw the whiteness of his cheeks, then turned away as Abū Rimthah (meaning himself) had done. The man who has been present with him at the first takbir in the prayer then got up to pray another prayer, whereupon ʽUmar leaped up and, seizing him by the shoulders, shook him and said: Sit down, for the People of the Book perished for no other reason than that there was no interval between their prayers. The Prophet (peace be upon him) raised his eyes and said: Allah has made you say what is right, son of al-Khaṭṭāb. This Ḥadīth refers to the dislike of performing a voluntary prayer after the obligatory one without separating them, even if he separates them with salutation.
Fourthly, the summary of the matter is:
1- No Ḥadīths in this matter can be considered reliable without scrutinizing their chain of transmission. Even if there are reliable Ḥadīths, they can be interpreted, such as the ones talking about separation which does not necessarily involve actual movement.
2- Most Imams consider it preferable to change the location of prayer to avoid imitating the obligatory prayer and to experience different places of prostration. However, it is not mandatory to do so, and one can pray in the same place for all prayers, and they will be valid and accepted.
3- If someone wants to change his/her location during prayer, it is sufficient to move a small distance, such as advancing or delaying the prayer mat by a handspan. However, the Mālikiy and Ḥanbaliy schools of thought do not require this, as reported by Ibn Rajab.
After all, Allāh knows best.
Fatwa by Dr. Khālid Naṣr