Answered by Shaykh Ilyas Patel
Can I pray on a sheepskin rug? It is thick, soft and furry. Would it be extravagant to pray on it, as it quite luxurious? Would it be permitted to prostrate on it? Please could you explain what the conditions are for the place of prayer. I thought you had to pray on a hard surface?
a surface which its hardness iIn the name of Allah Most Compassionate Merciful
I hope you are fine and in the best of health and iman.
Sheepskin rugs are permissible to use, as the skin is completely chemically treated and undergoes purification.
Read all about modern and ancient method of tanning in Wikipedia following the link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tanning
It would not be extravagant to read on a sheepskin rug, as the companions and the generations after used leather to perform their salat on too, at times.
Prostration should be performed on something which the surface of the ground is felt.
It is not permissible to perform prostration (sajdah) on cotton or straws except if the surface of the ground is felt.
(Nihaya al-Murad fi Sharh Hadiyya ibn al-Amad pg 490)
And Allah alone knows best