① Coming to the Mosque After Eating Garlic or Onion
Jābir ibn ʿAbdillāh (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"Whoever eats garlic or onion should keep away from our mosque and remain in his house, for the angels are offended by the same things that offend humans."
(al-Bukhārī, al-Adhān, 855; Muslim, 564)
Abū Saʿīd (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Whoever eats these foul plants (garlic or onion) should not approach our mosque. If you must eat them, then cook them well to remove their smell."
(Muslim, 567)
Note: Shaykh al-Albānī رحمه الله said: Smoking is even worse than garlic or onion, as its odor is more harmful, with no benefit and many harms.
② Spitting in the Mosque
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"I was shown the good and bad deeds of my Ummah. Among the good was removing something harmful from the road; among the bad was spitting in the mosque without covering it with earth."
(Muslim, 553)
He ﷺ also said:
"Spitting in the mosque is a sin, and its expiation is to bury it."
(al-Bukhārī, 415; Muslim, 552)
And he said:
"When one of you is standing in prayer, let him not spit in front of him… but to his left or under his foot and cover it."
(al-Bukhārī, 416; Muslim, 550)
③ Interlacing the Fingers Before Salah
The Prophet ﷺ said:
"When you perform wuḍū’ at home and set out for the mosque, do not intertwine your fingers, for you are already in prayer."
(Abū Dāwūd, 562 – authenticated by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī)
This prohibition applies before the prayer begins; after prayer, the Prophet ﷺ himself interlaced his fingers in the mosque.
(al-Bukhārī, 482)
④ Using the Mosque as a Shortcut
ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"Do not make the mosques as pathways; they are only for the remembrance of Allah and prayer."
(al-Albānī, al-Silsilah al-Ṣaḥīḥah, 1163)
⑤ Raising the Voice in the Mosque
ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) rebuked two men from Ṭā’if, saying:
"Had you been from the people of Madinah, I would have punished you for raising your voices in the Mosque of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."
(al-Bukhārī, al-Ṣalāh, 470)
⑥ Buying and Selling in the Mosque
Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet ﷺ said:
"If you see someone selling or buying in the mosque, say: لَا أَرْبَحَ اللّٰهُ تِجَارَتَكَ – ‘May Allah not bless your trade.’
And if you see someone announcing a lost item, say: لَا رَدَّهَا اللّٰهُ عَلَيْكَ – ‘May Allah not return it to you.’ For the mosques were not built for this purpose."
(al-Tirmidhī, 1321 – authenticated by al-Ḥākim and al-Dhahabī; Muslim, 568)
