The Ruling on Sitting and Talking in the Mosque

The questioner : What is the ruling on sitting in the mosque? Some people, when the prayer ends, sit and chat. Two or three, sometimes just one or two, chat for an hour. They have coolers, they have air conditioners. And they do not do this all the time. Is there any harm in this, regarding running the air conditioners in the mosque, for example?

The Shaykh : I see that it is a sign of scrupulousness (wara') for a person not to sit in the mosque except for a matter specific to the mosque. As for the chit-chat that takes place in gatherings, he should leave.

The questioner : Is it a sin, I mean? Is it a sin, or is it a matter of scrupulousness?

The Shaykh : No, no, it is a matter of scrupulousness. And if he must sit in the mosque, he should turn off the air conditioners and the lights if it is night. And if this is truly a severe condition, this is what I see.

The questioner : And the talking, O Shaykh, that is not good, I mean, for example, after the prayer, like what?

The Shaykh : He asks about his condition, he asks about his children, he asks what he did during this break, for example. This is a discussion.