Part 42

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“O Allah, as for he who is entrusted with an affair of my Nation and who is hard upon them, then be hard upon him; and as for he who is entrusted with an affair of my Nation and who is then kind and gentle with them, then be kind and gentle with him."

An-Nawawee said, “This is from the severest of warnings about being hard upon people; yet at the same, it is from the strongest of encouragements about being gentle and kind with them. And there are many other Ahadeeth that convey a similar meaning.”

Whether they realize it or not, some Imams - may Allah guide them to what is right - are hard upon the people. They might delay the Iqaamah, which holds people back from work and from

"I Related by Muslim (1828) and Ahmad (24101).

other duties they must fulfill, Made to wait longer than necessary, a worshipper might face the difficult question of whether he may pray alone or whether he should wait for the Imam. All of this hardship is unnecessary and reflects poorly on the Imam. The wise Imam is one who sets a specific, known time for each prayer, so that if he is late for some unexpected reason, those present can begin the prayer. This is just one of the ways that an Imam shows kindness and consideration to the congregation of his Masjid. And it is Allah 4 who grants success.

9) The Permissibility Of Lying Down in The Masjid

As is indicated by the Prophet's practice, it is permissible to lie down in the Masjid. ‘Abduliah Ibn Zaid Ibn ‘Aasim # reported that he once saw the Messenger of Allah #% lying down in the Masjid, with one of his legs placed over the other. Ibn Shihaab related that Sa’eed Ibn Al-Musayyib said, “Umar and ‘Uthmaan a would do that as well.” If you do lie down in the Masjid, you must be sure that no private area of your body will become exposed as a result, for depending on what kind of clothes you are wearing, you may expose a private area of your body if you place one leg over the other.

Related Issue: In an attempt to stay away from any act of irreverence in the Masjid, some people avoid stretching out their legs in the direct of the Qiblah. Yet there is no irreverence in doing so; therefore, whether he is inside of the Masjid or not, a person who stretches out his legs in the direction of the Qiblah is not sinning. Another Related Issue: When you are in the Masjid, if you do stretch your legs out in the direction of the Qiblah, your legs must not be pointing towards copies of the Qur’an.?) You must show good manners and reverence to Allah’s Speech. In gatherings, it "l Related by Bukhaaree (475), Muslim (2100), At-Tirmidhee (2765), AnNassaaee (721), Abu Daawood (4866), Ahmad (15995), Maalik (417), and Ad-Daarimee (2656). 2) In most Masjids, Qur’ans are placed before the worshippers, at the front o} the Masjid.

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is common for people to reproach someone for stretching his legs out towards them; imagine, then, the greater disrespect shown when one points his legs towards the Quran.

10) The Permissibility Of Sleeping In The Masjid

If you feel the need to do so, you may sleep in the Masjid. The People of Suffah''! would sleep in the Masjid, and, as Naafai’ related, before getting married, Ibn ‘Umar \# would also sleep in the Masjid.?!

Related Issue: If one sleeps in the Masjid and has a wet dream, he should hurry to leave as soon as he wakes up in order to take a shower and enter into a state of purity.)

11) The Prohibition Of Buying And Selling In Masjids

It is forbidden to buy and sell in the Masjid. A Masjid is not built to be a store or marketplace; instead it is built for the remembrance of Allah, for establishing prayer, for educating Muslims about their religious affairs, and so on. In fact, if you see aman buying or selling anything in the Masjid, you should make a supplication against him, saying, “May Allah not make your trade profitable.” Abu Hurairah 4 reported that the Messenger of Allah #2 said,

“If you see someone buy or sell in the Masjid, then say, ‘May Allah not make your trade profitable.’...’"4]

" The People of Suffah: Poor Companions 4 who lived in the Masjid of the Messenger of AJlah #8; there they ate and slept.

¥) Bukhaaree related this narration (442).

‘41 Related by At-Tirmidhee (1321), who said, “This hadith is Hasan Ghareeb.”” Because of the grading of the hadith, scholars have differed about its application. Some scholars, such as Ahmad and Ishaq, have

Related Issue: Regarding the ruling for buying and selling in rooms or halls that are connected to the Masjid, or halls that are used for prayer, the Permanent Council (of Scholars in Saudi Arabia) issued this ruling: “If a room is specifically used for prayer, and if it is connected to the Masjid, it is not permissible to buy or sell in it, nor is it permissible to advertise products inside of it. The Prophet 2% indeed said,

‘If you see someone buy or sell in the Masjid, then say: May Allah not make your trade profitable...”

As for rooms, then we need to elaborate. If a room is within the enclosure of a Masjid, then it takes the ruling of a Masjid, and what we said about halls applies to that room. But if the room is outside the Masjid’s enclosure, it does not take the ruling of the Masjid, even if there is a door that connects it to the Masjid. This tuling is based on the fact that the Prophet's house, in which ‘Aaisha % lived, had a door that was connected to the Masjid, yet his house did not take the same ruling as the Masjid.”

Question: In saying, “May Allah not make your trade profitable,” should we distinguish between a person who knows the ruling for trading in the Masjid and a person who doesn’t know the ruling?

Answer: The plain meaning of the hadith’s wording indicates that we should say the phrase both to a person who knows the ruling for trading in the Masjid and to a person who doesn't know the ruling.

12) The Prohibition Of Asking Or Making An Announcement In The - Masjid About A Lost Possession

Allah’s Masjids are built for His remembrance, His glorification, the recitation of the Qur’an, and prayer; they are not built as

ruled that it is Makrooh (disliked) to buy and sell in the Masjid. Other scholars have ruled that it is permissible to buy and sell in the Masjid. And the hadith is also related by Ad-Daarimee (1401).

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places where people go to ask about their lost possessions. Abu Hurairah % related that the Messenger of Allah #¢ said,

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“Whoever hears a person ask or make an announcement in the Masjid about a lost possession, should say, ‘May Allah not return it to you,' for Masjids were not built for this,"

Therefore, upon seeing a person who is asking about a lost possession, you should say to him, ‘May Allah not return it to you.”

13) Speaking Loudly In The Masjid

While he was in the Masjid, Ka’ab Ibn Maalik asked Ibn Abee Hadrad to pay him back for a loan. In the ensuing discussion, they raised their voices, to the degree that the Messenger of Allah # heard them, even though he was in his home. He # went out to them, uncovering the barrier from his apartment. He # then

called out, “O Ka’ab.” Ka’ab # said, ‘Here I am, answering your call, O Messenger of Allah #%.”” He #& said,

“Remove (forgive) a part of this debt of yours,” after which he signaled that Ka’ab should forgive Ibn Abee Hadrad % for half of the debt. Ka’ab 4 said, “I have indeed

done so, O Messenger of Allah.” The Prophet # then said to Ibn Abee Hadrad #,

“Stand and pay him back,’?)

') The hadith is related with different wordings by Muslim (568), Ahmad (8382, 9161), At-Tirmidhee (1321), Abu Daawood (473), Ibn Maajah (767), and Ad-Daarimee (1401).

2) Related by Bukhaaree (457), Muslim (1558), Ahmad (15364), An-Nassaaee (408), Abu Daawood (3595), Ibn Maajah (2429), and Ad-Daarimee (2587).

Upon contemplating the two above-mentioned Altadeeth, one might conclude that they are in apparent contradiction with one another. The Messenger of Allah 2% did not reproach those who raised their voices in the Masjid; instead, he simply told Ka’ab 4, one of the two who raised their voices, to reduce the debt by one half. The Prophet #% never delayed issuing a ruling after its necessary time; here the Prophet ## had the opportunity to reproach them for raising their voices, yet he didn’t do so, which indicates that raising one’s voice in the Masjid is not forbidden. “‘Umar’s narration, on the other hand, indicates that it is Makrooh (disliked) to raise one’s voice in the Masjid. Possessing a noble character, ‘Umar . would not have reproached them had he not known some proof from the Prophet #%; hence his reproach holds the same weight as a hadith that is ascribed to the Prophet #8. Perhaps the combined understanding of the two narrations can be explained by a saying of Maalik (in one of his two narrations): “A distinction must be made between one raising his voice for [imparting] knowledge, for [some] good [purpose], or for something that is necessary - which is all permissible - and between one raising his voice with clamor, [nonsense], and whatever is similar - which is all forbidden.)

Related Issue: The Permanent Council (of Scholars in Saudi Arabia) issued this ruling about begging for money: Unless one needs to do so, it is forbidden to beg for money, a ruling that "I Related by Bukhaaree (470).