The Virtue of Tahiyyat al-Masjid (Greeting the Mosque Prayer)
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)
