Friday Reminder: Etiquettes within the Houses of Allaah (second half)
The person entering the masjid should observe the following etiquettes:
1. Entering the masjid with the right foot first
The famous companion of the Prophet Anas bin Malik mentioned:
“From implementation of the Sunnah, is that a person enters the masjid with his right foot first, and leaves the masjid with his left foot first.” (Mustedraq of Hakim)
It is also recorded that ‘Umar ibn al Khattab held a similar view. (Sahih Bukhari)
2. Supplication upon entering
This is based on the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“If one of you enters the masjid, he should say: Oh Allah open for me the doors of Your mercy! Allahuma Iftah lee abwaab rahmatika.” (Sahih Muslim)
The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) also said:
“If one of you enters the masjid, he should send prayers upon me, and then say: Oh Allah open for me the doors of Your mercy.” (Sunan Abi Dawud)
3. Praying 2 units of prayer before sitting (Tahiyyatul Masjid)
The proof for this is the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“If one of you enters the masjid, he should pray two units of prayer before sitting.”
(Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
4. Praying behind a sutra
The sutra is a barrier that shields the person who is praying from allowing someone to cross directly in front of him. The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“When one of you prays, he should stand behind a sutra and he should pray close to it. This is in order to prevent the shaytan from disturbing his prayer.” (Sunan Abi Dawud)
4. Trying one’s best to obtain a place in the first row[2]
This is based on the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“If the people were aware of the tremendous reward obtained for answering the call to prayer, and praying in the first row, they would draw straws to seek a place in the first row.” (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
“The best rows for the men are the first rows.” (Sahih Muslim)
“They will cease to delay (approaching the first row) until Allah will delay them (from entering Paradise).[3] (Sahih Muslim)
5. Repeating after the Muathin (caller to prayer)
This is based on the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“When you hear the call to prayer, say similar to the Muathin.”
(Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
5. Supplication between the athan (the call to prayer) and the iqamah
The Prophet of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has informed his nation of various times that supplication is more likely to be answered by Allah. One of those times is between the athan and the iqamah. The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“The supplication made between the athan and the iqamah will not be rejected.”
(Musnad of Imam Ahmed)
6. Recitation of the Quran and remembering Allah
We have already mentioned earlier in this booklet the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“Indeed the Houses of Allah were built for the remembrance of Allah, prayer, and recitation of the Quran.” (Sahih Muslim)
7. Trying one’s best to attend gatherings of knowledge
This is based on the statement of the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“A group of people do not gather in the House of Allah, reciting His book and studying it amongst themselves, except that tranquility befalls them, the Angels surround them, mercy encloses them, and Allah mentions them to those in His company.” (Sahih Muslim)
Also the general statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“Whoever treads a path seeking knowledge, Allah will make his path easy for him to Paradise.” (Sahih Muslim)
Based on the above narration, it is safe to say that if a person leaves his home with the intention of praying in congregation and likewise with the intention of seeking knowledge in the masjid, he will – by the permission of Allah – gain great reward due to the fact that he has combined between two tremendous actions which are loved by Allah – The Mighty and Majestic.
8. It is mandatory that the masjids are kept clean, and the worshipper should try his best to assist. This is based on the statement of the ‘Aaisha who said that the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered that the masjid should be cleaned and perfumed. (Musnad of Imam Ahmad)
Matters to Avoid While Visiting the Masjid
The actions of the believer while visiting the Houses of Allah must vary from his normal actions outside of the masjid. This is due to his awareness of the sacredness of this house. He keeps in mind at all times, that he is visiting a place that has been established for the worship of Allah, and therefore, that which takes place in it should be mainly focused on actions which draw one nearer to Allah.
Subsequently, the following actions are forbidden:
1. Buying and selling within the masjid[4]
This is based on the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“If you witness a person buying or seeking to purchase within the masjid, say to him: May Allah not bless your trade.” (Sahih Muslim)
2. Speaking loudly or about matters of no real importance[5]
Al Saeeb bin Yazeed mentioned: I was standing in the masjid one day when I felt someone pocking me. When I turned around I saw that it was ‘Umar bin al Khattab. He instructed me to bring him two men who were in the masjid raising their voices. When I brought him the two men ‘Umar asked them: Where are you from? They replied: We are from Taif. ‘Umar said: If you were from this city, I would have beaten you! You were raising your voices in the masjid of the Prophet?! (Sahih Bukhari)
Sa’eed bin al Musayib mentioned:
“When a person sits in a masjid, indeed he is sitting for the worship of his Lord, and therefore he should only speak with that which is good.” (Tafsir al Qurtubi)
“All of you are guardians, and everyone will be questioned concerning those under his care.” (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
Although this hadith is general, without a doubt, it applies to those whom accompany their children along with them to the Houses of Allah. The guardian should teach those in his care the correct manners of visiting the house of worship. He should not allow his child to run around and disturb others who are seeking nearness to Allah. If the child is too young and cannot be taught these manners, it is preferable to leave the child at home rather than cause disturbance to others within the masjid.
3. Reciting Quran loudly to the extent that it disturbs other worshippers
Abu Sa’eed al Khudri reported that the Messenger of Allah (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) heard some people reciting the Quran loudly in the masjid, whereupon he said to them:
“All of you intend to call on his Lord, therefore you should not harm one another, nor should you raise your voices in recitation.” (Sunan Abi Dawud)
In the above narration we have a clear prohibition from the Prophet with regards to disturbing others in the masjid, so what is the case with those who disturb others with vain talk, music on their cell phones, laughing and joking, etc?! No Muslim would doubt that recitation of the Quran is one of the most beloved actions to Allah, and even with its great status in Islam, the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) has forbidden that a person recites to the extent that he disturbs his fellow worshippers. This informs that those who disturb others with matters less in status than the Quran have indeed committed a grave wrong.[6]
4. Crossing the path of someone praying[7]
The Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“If the person walking in front of someone praying knew the extent of his fault, it would be better for him to wait forty before crossing in front of someone praying.” (Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim)
Leaving the Masjid
This is based on the statement of the Prophet (may the peace and blessings of Allah be upon him):
“When one of you leaves the masjid he should send prayers upon me and say: Oh Allah! I ask you for Your blessings – Allahuma inne asaluka min fadlik.” (Sahih Muslim)
2. To remember that one is leaving a House of Allah
We have constantly reiterated in this booklet that the person who attends the masjid should focus on the seeking nearness to his Lord. During his visit he should have prayed, supplicated, remembered Allah and he possibly heard something of Islamic knowledge which would benefit him in this life and the next. Thus, his character upon leaving the House of Allah should be more superior and distinguished. Our pious predecessors (Salaf) have informed that an indication that one’s worship has been accepted by Allah, is that the person’s actions after the performance of worship is better and more noble. If the worshipper does not feel this increase in eeman, it is possible that he is not establishing the prayer in a befitting manner and therefore he should evaluate his actions before and during performance of prayer.
In conclusion
These were just a few etiquettes which we felt the need to remind ourselves and our brothers and sisters as it relates to attending the Houses of Allah.
Allah knows best. May the peace and blessings of Allah be upon His final Prophet and Messenger, and upon his family members and companions.
Mustafa George DeBerry
Riyadh, K.S.A
July 13, 2010
[1] Much of the narrations present in this booklet are taken from the book titled: Riyadh al Saliheen by Imam al Nawawi.
[2] This applies to males and females if there is a barrier between the two sexes. If there is no barrier, the female is encouraged to pray in the latter rows.
[3] This was mentioned as an admonition to those whom constantly delayed approaching the first row.
[4] This includes placing advertisements for the sale of products and services within the masjid.
[5] This ruling does not include raising the voice during sermons and classes.
[6] It indeed saddens us to hear some of what takes place of fighting, arguing, and even threatening with weapons, in some of the Houses of Allah in the West! This is without a doubt a grave crime and those who perform such deeds should immediately repent to their Lord and seek His pardon.
[7] This includes the Imam (the one leading the prayer), or a person praying alone. It does not include the person praying behind the Imam.
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