On Mosques
◈ The Best Place in the World:
Mosques are the most beloved places to Allah Most High. Accordingly, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«أحب البلاد إلى الله تعالى مساجدها.»
“The most beloved places to Allah are the mosques.”
◈ The Virtue of the Mosque:
Allah Most High says:
إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ
“Only those who believe in Allah and the Last Day maintain the mosques of Allah.”
And the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«من بنى مسجدا يبتغي به وجه الله ، بنى الله له مثله فى الجنة.»
“Whoever builds a mosque seeking the Face of Allah, Allah will build for him a similar one in Paradise.”
And in another place he said:
“Whoever builds a mosque the size of a bird’s nest, or even smaller, Allah will build a house for him in Paradise.”
◈ The Virtue of Going to the Mosque and Maintaining It:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Allah will give shade under His shade on the Day of Resurrection to seven types of people, on a day when there is no shade but His. One of them is a man whose heart is attached to the mosque.”
Whoever goes to the mosque is a guest of Allah, and Allah honours him with hospitality in Paradise. It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«من غدا إلى المسجد وراح أعد الله له نزله من الجنة كلما غدا أو راح»
“Whoever goes to the mosque morning and evening, Allah prepares for him a hospitality in Paradise each time he goes in the morning or evening.”
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: Whoever performs wudu well at home and goes to the mosque with the intention of prayer alone, and nothing other than prayer causes him to go, then for every step he takes he is raised one degree, and as long as a person remains seated in the place where he prayed, the angels continue to supplicate for mercy upon him, saying:
“O Allah, send Your mercy upon him. O Allah, have mercy on him. These supplications continue as long as he does not break his wudu and does not cause harm to anyone. And the Prophet ﷺ said: As long as a person is held back by prayer, all that time is counted as prayer.”
It is narrated from Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “As long as people sit in the mosques reciting the Qur’an and studying it, tranquility (sakinah) descends upon them, mercy covers them, the angels surround them, and Allah mentions them favourably among His angels.”
◈ The Greatest Wrongdoer:
So great is the status of mosques that whoever opposes them is called the greatest wrongdoer. Allah Most High says:
وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّن مَّنَعَ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ أَن يُذْكَرَ فِيهَا اسْمُهُ وَسَعَىٰ فِي خَرَابِهَا ۚ
“And who is more unjust than one who prevents the mention of His name in the mosques of Allah and strives to ruin them?”
◈ Etiquette of the Mosque:
① In mosques, one should invite people purely to the Tawheed of Allah Most High. Calling to other than Allah is forbidden. Allah Most High says:
وَأَنَّ الْمَسْجِدَ لِله فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللهِ أَحَدًا
“And indeed, the mosques are for Allah, so do not call upon anyone along with Allah.”
② One should pray two rak’ahs of Tahiyyat al-Masjid before sitting in the mosque. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إذا دخل أحدكم المسجد فليركع ركعتين قبل أن يجلس»
“When you enter the mosque, pray two rak’ahs before you sit down.”
③ One should not speak loudly in the mosque. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) saw two men speaking in loud voices in the mosque, and they were residents of Ta’if, so he said: “If you were residents of Madinah, I would surely punish you; you raise your voices in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah.”
④ Spitting in the mosque is prohibited. As the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Spitting in the mosque is a sin, and its expiation is to cover it with earth.”
⑤ Holding gatherings in mosques to discuss worldly matters is also prohibited. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«إنما هي لذكر الله عزوجل والصلوة وقراءة القرآن»
“Mosques are only for the remembrance of Allah the Mighty and Majestic, prayer, and recitation of the Qur’an.”
⑥ Do not come to the mosque after eating onions and garlic. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever eats these two should not come near the mosque,” and he said: “If you must eat them, then cook them and remove their smell.”
⑦ Nothing that causes inconvenience to people should be brought into the mosque. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: “Whoever passes through our mosques or markets with a pointed object (a sword, arrow, knife, or spear) must hold it by its point, lest it harm a Muslim.”
⑧ The Messenger of Allah ﷺ forbade reciting love poetry, buying and selling, and announcing lost items in mosques.
The Reward of Prayers in Certain Mosques
◈ Masjid al-Haram:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“One prayer offered in Masjid al-Haram is better than one hundred thousand prayers offered in other mosques.”
◈ Masjid an-Nabawi:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“A prayer offered in my mosque is better than one thousand prayers offered in other mosques, except Masjid al-Haram.”
❀ Note
In this hadith, “my mosque” refers to Masjid an-Nabawi.
◈ Masjid Quba:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
Offering one prayer in Masjid Quba is equal to an Umrah.
Sunan Ibn Majah states that whoever comes from his home to Masjid Quba after making wudu and prays one prayer there will receive the reward of an Umrah.
◈ Masjid al-Aqsa:
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“Do not undertake a journey (with the intention of seeking reward by visiting) to any place other than three mosques: Masjid al-Haram, Masjid an-Nabawi and Masjid al-Aqsa.”
Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that when Sulayman ibn Dawud (peace be upon him) built Bayt al-Maqdis, he asked Allah for three things during that time:
① That He grant him rule that would accord with His (Allah’s) rule, and Allah granted him this.
② That He grant him a kingdom that would not belong to anyone after him, and it was granted to him.
③ When he finished building the mosque, he asked Allah that whoever comes to this mosque only with the intention of prayer, He should cleanse him of sins as on the day his mother gave birth to him.
◈ Supplications upon entering the mosque:
«اللهم افتح لي أبواب رحمتك.»
“O Allah! Open for me the doors of Your mercy.”
«بسم الله والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله رب اغفر لي ذنوبى وافتح لي أبواب رحمتك»
“In the name of Allah, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah ﷺ. O Lord! Forgive my sins and open for me the doors of Your mercy.”
If the worshipper reads this supplication upon entering the mosque, he remains protected from Satan throughout the day:
«أعوذ بالله العظيم، وبوجهه الكريم ، وسلطانه القديم، من الشيطان الرحيم .»
“I seek refuge in the Mighty Allah, in His noble face and His ancient sovereignty, from the accursed Satan.”
◈ Supplications upon leaving the mosque:
It is narrated from Sayyidina Abu Usayd (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: When you leave the mosque, recite this supplication:
«اللهم إني أسئلك من فضلك.»
“O Allah! Indeed I ask You for Your bounty.”
«بسم الله والصلوة والسلام على رسول الله. اللهم اغفرلي ذنوبي وافتح لي أبواب فضلك.»
“In the name of Allah, and peace be upon the Messenger of Allah. O Allah! Forgive my sins and open for me the doors of Your bounty.”
◈ Important rulings:
When entering the mosque, first put the right foot in, and when leaving, first take the left foot out.
It is permissible for women to go to the mosque. Sayyidina Abdullah ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Prophet ﷺ said: If your women ask your permission to go to the mosque at night, give them permission.
Hafiz Ibn Abd al-Barr said that this hadith contains the jurisprudential point that it is permissible for a woman to go to the mosque at night, and that this includes every prayer.
If a person experiences wet dream in the mosque, or a woman begins menstruation, they should immediately leave the mosque.
Children who have not reached puberty may enter the mosque.
A disbeliever’s entry into the mosque is permissible when there is a need.
◈ Places where prayer is prohibited:
Praying in graveyards and bathhouses is prohibited. Sayyidina Abu Sa’id al-Khudri (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“The entire earth is a mosque, except the bathhouse and the graveyard.”
When a man asked, “Shall I pray in the camel pens?”, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: No.
Praying while facing graves is prohibited. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«لا تصلوا إلى القبور»
“Do not pray facing graves.”
