The Virtue of Tahiyyat al-Masjid (Greeting the Mosque Prayer)
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
What is the virtue of Tahiyyat al-Masjid (the two-unit prayer upon entering the mosque)?
Mosques are the most beloved places to Allah and the holiest spots on the face of the Earth. The Sharīʿah has prescribed two rakʿahs upon entering them as a greeting and act of reverence.
Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam رحمه الله reported:
“I brought water for Sayyidunā ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه for wuḍūʼ while he was sitting on the platform. He performed a complete ablution and said: ‘I saw the Prophet ﷺ perform wuḍūʼ in this very place. Then he said: Whoever performs wuḍūʼ like this and then enters the mosque and offers two rakʿahs, all his past (minor) sins will be forgiven.’
The Prophet ﷺ also said: ‘Do not be deceived (by thinking lightly of this act).’”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6433
Sayyidunā Abū Qatādah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he prays two rakʿahs."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 444, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 714
"He should not sit until he has offered two rakʿahs."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 444, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 714
“This ḥadīth is evidence that it is mustaḥabb (recommended) to pray two rakʿahs upon entering the mosque. This is a Sunnah by the consensus of the Muslims.”
Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 5/226
Sayyidunā Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ, while describing the event of Miʿrāj (Ascension), said:
"Then I entered the mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqṣā) and offered two rakʿahs therein."
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 162
Masrūq رحمه الله reported:
“Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه came out of his house and entered the mosque while I was with him. A man greeted him with salām. He replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger have indeed spoken the truth.’
I asked, ‘About what?’
He said, ‘From among the signs of the Hour is that a person will greet only those he knows, and a man will enter the mosque and cross its length and breadth but will not offer two rakʿahs of prayer in it. And a young man will send an elderly man as a messenger to a place between two mountains (i.e., very far),’”
Musnad al-Shāshī: 400 – Authentic chain
① Expiation of Minor Sins – Through proper wuḍūʼ and praying these two rakʿahs
② A Sunnah Confirmed by Ijmāʿ (Consensus)
③ Acts as a Greeting to the House of Allah
④ Demonstrates Reverence for the Sacredness of the Mosque
⑤ Neglecting it is among the signs of the Hour (Qiyāmah)
Source: Fatāwā Amunpuri by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Amunpuri
❖ Question:
What is the virtue of Tahiyyat al-Masjid (the two-unit prayer upon entering the mosque)?
❖ Answer:
Mosques are the most beloved places to Allah and the holiest spots on the face of the Earth. The Sharīʿah has prescribed two rakʿahs upon entering them as a greeting and act of reverence.
✿ ① The Ḥadīth of Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam رحمه الله:
Marwān ibn al-Ḥakam رحمه الله reported:
“I brought water for Sayyidunā ʿUthmān رضي الله عنه for wuḍūʼ while he was sitting on the platform. He performed a complete ablution and said: ‘I saw the Prophet ﷺ perform wuḍūʼ in this very place. Then he said: Whoever performs wuḍūʼ like this and then enters the mosque and offers two rakʿahs, all his past (minor) sins will be forgiven.’
The Prophet ﷺ also said: ‘Do not be deceived (by thinking lightly of this act).’”
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 6433✿ ② The Ḥadīth of Abū Qatādah رضي الله عنه:
Sayyidunā Abū Qatādah رضي الله عنه narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
"When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit down until he prays two rakʿahs."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 444, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 714✿ ③ In Another Version:
"He should not sit until he has offered two rakʿahs."
Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 444, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 714✿ ④ Imām al-Nawawī رحمه الله stated:
“This ḥadīth is evidence that it is mustaḥabb (recommended) to pray two rakʿahs upon entering the mosque. This is a Sunnah by the consensus of the Muslims.”
Sharḥ Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 5/226✿ ⑤ The Ḥadīth of Sayyidunā Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه:
Sayyidunā Anas ibn Mālik رضي الله عنه narrated that the Prophet ﷺ, while describing the event of Miʿrāj (Ascension), said:
"Then I entered the mosque (al-Masjid al-Aqṣā) and offered two rakʿahs therein."
Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim: 162✿ ⑥ The Statement of Masrūq رحمه الله about ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه:
Masrūq رحمه الله reported:
“Sayyidunā ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd رضي الله عنه came out of his house and entered the mosque while I was with him. A man greeted him with salām. He replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger have indeed spoken the truth.’
I asked, ‘About what?’
He said, ‘From among the signs of the Hour is that a person will greet only those he knows, and a man will enter the mosque and cross its length and breadth but will not offer two rakʿahs of prayer in it. And a young man will send an elderly man as a messenger to a place between two mountains (i.e., very far),’”
Musnad al-Shāshī: 400 – Authentic chain
Summary of Virtues:
① Expiation of Minor Sins – Through proper wuḍūʼ and praying these two rakʿahs
② A Sunnah Confirmed by Ijmāʿ (Consensus)
③ Acts as a Greeting to the House of Allah
④ Demonstrates Reverence for the Sacredness of the Mosque
⑤ Neglecting it is among the signs of the Hour (Qiyāmah)
