The Ruling on the Prayer of Greeting the Mosque and the Sunnah of Ablution in the Times of Prohibition

Question:
May Allah reward you, Your Eminence, father. The questioner asks: What is the ruling on the sunnah (recommended practice) of ablution and the prayer of greeting the mosque in the times of prohibition?

Answer:
There is scholarly disagreement on this, because the sunnah of ablution and the prayer of greeting the mosque are among the prayers with a cause. Some scholars say that it is performed when its cause is present, at any time. Others say that the absolute voluntary prayer is not performed in the times of prohibition. Some of them generalized the prohibition, and some generalized the command, and both have a valid perspective. Therefore, the one who performs the sunnah of ablution and the sunnah of greeting the mosque in the time of prohibition is not censured. And the one who leaves it is not censured, because each of them has a basis. The issue is one of independent legal reasoning (ijtihad), and the stronger position has not been clearly distinguished from the weaker one. Yes.