Part 41

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“O Allah, place within my heart light, and upon my tongue, light, and within my ears light, and within my eyes light, and

" Related by Bukhaaree (908), Muslim (602), Ahmad (7606), At-Tirmidhee (328), Abu Daawood (572), and Ibn Maajah (775).

place behind me light and in front of me light and above me light and beneath me light. O Allah, increase for me light.’”

And the following wording is related by Muslim: i GG 6s ot OS He Lt 6S oad ee OF Wegdedl si od els Ul os es be I BY “O Allah, place within my heart light, and within my eyes light, and within my ears light, and to my right light, and to my left light, and place above me light and beneath me light, and place in

front of me light and behind me light. O Allah, increase for me light...”"11

5) The Supplication For Entering And Leaving The Masjid

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“When one of you enters the Masjid, let him say, ‘O Allah, open

the gates of Your Mercy for me.’ And when he leaves, let him say, ‘O Allah, I ask You from Your favor.”

Abu Daawood narrated it thus: “When one of you enters the Masjid, let him send salutations to the Prophet #%, and then let him say,

11 Related by Muslim (763) and Abu Daawood (1353); Al-Albaanee said, “sahih”’ (1025). And Ahmad related it as well (3531).

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“O Allah, open the gates of Your Mercy for me.’ And when he leaves, let him say, ‘O Allah, I ask You from Your favor.’”"!)

When you enter the Masjid, it is also recommended for you to say, “I take refuge with Allah, the Supreme, and with His Noble Face, and His eternal authority from the accursed devil.”

‘Abdullah Ibn ‘Amr Ibn Al-‘Aas #% reported that when the Prophet # would enter the Masjid, he # would say,

Wee DN QUE Sp peal bh oe SD gh 5 pit wt 52h “'T take refuge with Allah, the Supreme, and with His Noble Face, and His eternal authority from the accursed devil.”

And the narration ends thus: “And when he says that (i.e., that supplication upon entering the Masjid), the Shaitaan says, ‘He is protected from me for the rest of the day.””)

6) It ls Recommended To Lead With Your Right Foot Upon Entering The Masjid, And To Lead With Your Left Foot Upon Leaving

When you enter the Masjid, you should lead with your right foot, primarily because doing so is the Sunnah of the Messenger 2%, and also because the Masjid is the most honorable of places; hence you should lead with your more honorable side, the right side, when entering it. When you leave the Masjid, exit with your left foot first, mainly because doing so is the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah #%, and also because all places outside of the

"I Related by Muslim (713), Ahmad (15627), and An-Nassaaee (729). Abu Daawood (465), Ibn Maajah (772), and Ad-Daarimee (1394) related it with the addition, “Let him send salutations to the Prophet 3.” An-Nawawee said, “Muslim, Abu Daawood, An-Nassaaee, Ibn Maajah, and others related it with authentic chains. And in grading Abu Daawood’s narration, Al-Albaanee said, “sahih.”

"I Related by Abu Daawood (466). An-Nawawee said, “Its chain is good,” and Al-Albaanee said, “sahih.”

Masjid are lower than it in honor, so in going from the more honorable to the less honorable place, you should lead with your less honorable side, the left side. The general principle in this issue is taken from the hadith of ‘Aaisha 4, in which she % said, “The Prophet #% liked At-Tayammun (using the right side or beginning something with the right side) in putting on his sandals, in combing his hair, in purifying himself, and in all of his affairs.’""1)

More specific to the issue in question is this saying of Anas .¢s: “It is from the Sunnah when you enter the Masjid to begin with your right foot, and when you leave [the Masjid] to begin with your left foot.”"7) It is a well-known principle among the people of hadith that a saying of a Companion about the Sunnah takes the same ruling and has the same legislative force as a saying of the Prophet #%. When Bukhaaree titled a chapter of his compilation after the above-mentioned narration of ‘Aaisha 4%, he related a narration in which it is mentioned that Ibn ‘Umar & would begin with his right foot [upon entering the Masjid], and his left foot upon exiting from the Masjid. And Ibn ‘Umar #& surely took that practice from the Prophet #%, for he is wellknown for his strict adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet #.

7) It Is Recommended To Perform Tahiyyatul-Masjid When You Enter The Masjid

When you enter the Masjid, you should first perform two units of prayer, which are called Tahiyyatul-Masjid (which literally means, greeting the Masjid). Although Tahiyyatul-Masjid is not compulsory to perform, it is nonetheless a stressed Sunnah. Abu Qataadah As-Salamee % related that the Messenger of Allah # said,

" Related by Bukhaaree (168), Muslim (268), Ahmad (24106), At-Tirmidhee (608), An-Nassaaee (421), and Ibn Maajah (401). And the abovementioned wording is from Bukhaaree’s narration of the hadith.

@] In grading this narration, Al-Haakim said in his Mustadrak: “It is sahih and fulfills the conditions of Muslim (1/338) (791).” Adh-Dhahabee concurred with him on that judgment.

Chapter - 11 The Manners Of Attending Masjids 255

“When one of you enters the Masjid, then let him perform two Rak’ahs (units of prayer) before he sits down,”")

The Prophet's command indicates that Tahiyyatul-Masjid is obligatory, but when this hadith is combined with the meaning of other narrations, Tahiyyatul-Masjid is reduced from the level of obligatory to the level of recommended. One of those narration is related by Talhah Ibn ‘Ubaidullah 2. He # said, “A man came to the Messenger of Allah #% from the people of Najd; his hair was ruffled, his voice roared, and what he said was unintelligible. Then he came near and asked about Islam. The Messenger of Allah 2 said,

“Five prayers in the day and night (i.e., five prayers a day).’ The man said, ‘Is there anything else upon me?’ He 2 said, ‘No, unless you do something else voluntarily.

Then at the end of the hadith, Talhah # said, “As the man turned to leave, he said, ‘By Allah, I will neither do more nor less than this.’ The Messenger of Allah 2 said,

‘He will achieve success if he is true to his word,’

Although the two units of Tahiyyatul-Masjid are not compulsory, the people of Eemaan should always perform them, for there is much good and virtue in them.

"I Related by Bukhaaree (444), Muslim (714), Ahmad (22017), At-Tirmidhee (316), An-Nassaaee (730), Abu Daawood (467), Ibn Maajah (1013), and Ad-Daarimee (1393)

8) The Virtues Of Sitting In The Masjid

The Prophet #% said,

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“..Then when he enters the Masjid, he is in [the state of] prayer as long as it is the only thing keeping him from leaving (i.e., the only reason why he is staying in the Masjid is to wait for the next prayer). And the Angels send prayers upon one of you as long as he is in the seat (spot) that he prayed in; they say, ‘O Allah, have mercy on him; O Allah, forgive him; O Allah, accept his repentance,’ as long as he does not harm anyone (with speech or deed) while he is in it, and as long as he does not nullify his state of purity (i.e., by passing wind, etc).

From Allah’s vast mercy to His slaves, He 48 gives them a reward similar to the person who is praying, just for sitting in the Masjid and waiting for the next congregational prayer; furthermore, He 4 makes His angels supplicate for them.

We must keep in mind that, as the hadith informs us, certain conditions must be fulfilled if you are to achieve the aforesaid reward and honor. First, nothing other than the prayer should be preventing you from going back to your home or work or elsewhere. Second, for the angels to supplicate for you, you must remain seated in the spot you prayed in. However, another view is that their supplication encompasses both those who wait for the prayer anywhere in the Masjid and those who remain seated in the spot they prayed in. The phrasing of the hadith points to the first view being correct. Third, if you harm angels or fellow

"I Related by Bukhaaree (176), Muslim (649), Ahmad (7382), An-Nassaaee (733), Abu Daawood (559), and Maalik (382). And the wording mentioned above is from Muslim’s narration of the hadith.

Chapter - 11 The Manners Of Attending Masjids 257

Muslim worshippers with speech or deed, or if you do something to nullify your state of purity (i.e., pass wind, etc.), you will not gain the reward of a person who waits for prayer, and the angels will not make the aforementioned supplication for you.

Related Issue: Many people fail to take advantage of a blessed time - the time between the Adhaan (the call to prayer) and the Iqaamah. You will find some people who spend that time looking around at worshippers who are praying or reciting the Qur’an; others who stare idly at the carvings in the Masjid; and yet others who daydream. They would all do much better were they to use that time by reciting the Qur’an, remembering Allah 3%, and supplicating to Allah 8, especially considering the fact that it is a time wherein one is likely to have his supplications answered. Another Related Issue: To Lead the prayer as Imam is a form of leadership or authority. It is compulsory upon the Imam to be considerate and kind with his followers, those who pray behind him. He should not burden them with any kind of difficulty or hardship whatsoever. ‘Aaisha % reported that she heard the Messenger of Allah 2% say,