Q: What is the ruling on someone who only prays on a prayer mat?

Prayer on carpets and other surfaces is permissible according to the majority of jurists, provided that it is free from designs that distract the worshiper. However, to intentionally seek to pray on a carpet, considering it a virtue or a religious requirement, is contrary to the Sunnah, as this was not the practice of the righteous predecessors; rather, they used to pray on the ground. Ibn al-Qayyim even considered insisting on praying on carpets to be among the snares of Satan.