Ruling on Sitting in the Mosque Without Wuḍūʾ: Clarification from Hadith
This excerpt is taken from Sheikh Muḥammad Munīr Qamar’s book Aḥkām al-Masājid.
❀ Misconception About Sitting in the Mosque Without Wuḍūʾ
Some people mistakenly believe that entering or sitting in the mosque without wuḍūʾ is prohibited, and they equate a person without wuḍūʾ with one in a state of janābah (major ritual impurity). This view is based on excessive strictness, because the aḥādīth regarding eating, drinking, and especially sleeping in the mosque refute such claims.
In fact, Imām al-Bukhārī dedicated a chapter in his Ṣaḥīḥ to refute this notion:
باب الحدث في المسجد
“Chapter: Minor ritual impurity in the mosque.”
❀ Angels’ Supplication for the Worshipper
Under this chapter, the ḥadīth recorded in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Khuzaymah, Abū Dāwūd, al-Nasāʾī, and Musnad Aḥmad narrates from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه that the Prophet ﷺ said:
الملائكة تصلي على أحدكم ما دام فى مصلاه الذى صلى فيه ما لم يحدث
“The angels send blessings upon one of you as long as he remains in the place where he prayed, until he loses his wuḍūʾ.”
The angels supplicate:
اللهم اغفر له، اللهم ارحمه
“O Allah, forgive him. O Allah, have mercy on him.”
References: Bukhārī 1/538; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ 3/6/21; Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd 444; Muslim with Nawawī 3/5/166; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Nasāʾī 707; Ibn Mājah 799
❀ Meaning of Ḥadath
The meaning of the word ḥadath is explained in another ḥadīth in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (under Bāb: Lā Tuqbal Ṣalāt Bi-Ghayri Ṭuhūr), also found in Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd, Musnad Aḥmad, and Muṣannaf ʿAbd al-Razzāq.
From Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:
لا تقبل صلاة من أحدث حتى يتوضأ
“The prayer of a person who is in a state of ḥadath is not accepted until he performs wuḍūʾ.”
When Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه narrated this, a man from Ḥaḍramawt asked:
ما الحدث يا أبا هريرة؟
“What is ḥadath, O Abū Hurayrah?”
He replied:
فساء أو ضراط
“It is breaking wind—whether silent or audible.”
References: Bukhārī with Fatḥ 1/234; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Jāmiʿ 3/6/165; Muslim 3/5/166; Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd 446
Thus, ḥadath refers to minor impurity caused by passing wind, not janābah.
See: Fatḥ al-Bārī 1/538–539
❀ Meaning of “Miṣlāhu” (His Place of Prayer)
Just as the second ḥadīth clarifies the meaning of ḥadath, another ḥadīth clarifies the meaning of miṣlāhu (his place of prayer) in the first narration.
It shows that the virtue is not limited to remaining in the exact spot where one prayed, but applies to anyone who stays in the mosque after prayer, even if he moves elsewhere within it, while waiting for the next prayer.
In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī (Kitāb al-Ṣalāh, Bāb Man Jalasa fī al-Masjid Yantaẓir al-Ṣalāh), and also in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, Abū Dāwūd, and other collections, from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه, the Prophet ﷺ said:
ولا يزال فى صلاة ما انتظر الصلاة
“He is considered in prayer as long as he is waiting for the (next) prayer.”
References: Bukhārī 2/142; Muslim with Nawawī 3/5/166; Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd 466; Ṣaḥīḥ Tirmidhī 271
From this, it is clear:
- Miṣlāhu refers to the mosque, not just the prayer mat.
- Angels’ supplication ceases once wuḍūʾ is lost.
- Remaining in the mosque is still meritorious, even without wuḍūʾ, though one should avoid actions like breaking wind to maintain the sanctity of the mosque.
According to Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله, and the views of Ibn al-Musayyib, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, and al-Ghazālī, this is at most makrūh tanzīhī (mildly disliked), not prohibited.
References: Fatḥ al-Bārī 1/539 (margin); Iʿlām al-Sājid pp. 301, 304
❀ Entering the Mosque Without Wuḍūʾ
In Muṣannaf Ibn Abī Shaybah, it is narrated from Saʿīd ibn al-Musayyib رحمه الله and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله:
يمر فى المسجد مارا ولا يجلس فيه
“A person without wuḍūʾ may pass through the mosque but should not sit in it.”
Reference: Iʿlām al-Masājid al-Zarkashī, p. 301
This resembles the ruling for the junub (ritually impure), in which there is greater severity. However, this is more about etiquette (awlā and ghayr awlā) rather than absolute permissibility or prohibition.
Shaykh Ibn Bāz رحمه الله explains that entering the mosque without wuḍūʾ is not prohibited, but wuḍūʾ is superior and more befitting.
The proof is the ḥadīth recorded in Ṣaḥīḥayn, Sunan al-Arbaʿah, Ṣaḥīḥ Abī ʿAwānah, al-Dārimī, al-Bayhaqī, al-Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik, and Musnad Aḥmad, from Abū Qatādah رضي الله عنه (and from Abū Hurayrah رضي الله عنه in Ibn Mājah):
إذا دخل أحدكم المسجد فلا يجلس حتى يصلي ركعتين
“When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit until he has prayed two rakʿahs.”
References: Bukhārī 444; Muslim with Nawawī 3/5/225; Ṣaḥīḥ Abī Dāwūd 442; Ṣaḥīḥ Tirmidhī 261; Ṣaḥīḥ al-Nasāʾī 708; Ibn Mājah 1012; Muwaṭṭaʾ Mālik 1/162, ḥadīth 57
Since the entering person is commanded to pray, he is therefore commanded to be in wuḍūʾ. Hence, for someone entering from outside, wuḍūʾ is emphasized more strongly than for one who is already inside and later loses wuḍūʾ.
Thus:
- Entering with wuḍūʾ is afḍal (superior).
- Sitting without wuḍūʾ is not prohibited, but undesirable if avoidable.
- Passing through without sitting is permitted, even without wuḍūʾ.
Conclusion
- It is not prohibited to enter or sit in the mosque without wuḍūʾ.
- Angels’ supplication stops once wuḍūʾ is lost, but the virtue of sitting with devotion in the mosque remains.
- Wuḍūʾ is always superior, as it maintains the sanctity of the mosque.
- Entering the mosque without wuḍūʾ is not sinful, but doing so with wuḍūʾ is more befitting and respectful.
References: Fatḥ al-Bārī 1/538–539; Iʿlām al-Sājid pp. 301–304
