If you would permit me, the saying of the one who says
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : If you would permit me, there is a somewhat ambiguous phrase in it, for example: "It is better for a man to pray in a Sunni mosque and catch the last rak'ah than to catch the opening takbir in an innovated mosque." Is there any clarification regarding this phrase?
The Shaykh : I do not have an answer right now, because I imagined the issue to be hypothetical rather than practical. He should intend to go to the Sunni mosque; that is the original rule. As for this specific situation with this constraint, meaning, are you asking about something you have imagined, or a scenario that came to your mind that you are asking about?
The questioner : The original question is about preference, meaning.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The original question is about preference. If a person catches [the prayer] there, if he remains in this [mosque], from the perspective of preference, is it better for him than praying in the innovated mosque? Is this preference correct or not?
The Shaykh: I have no answer.
The questioner : Shaykh, I am impressed by your words sometimes when you say: "When speech is cut out, it is severed and does not make sense." This hadith is for me, for the sake of interpretation. I was speaking among the youth about innovations and sunnahs, and preserving the sunnahs and following the sunnah behind a Sunni imam, and the mosque is established upon the sunnah, and the brothers in it are seen to be upon the sunnah, and between a mosque that has innovations and people against the sunnah, who deny the imam and there is noise, so I said at that time, in this long speech, among the dangers I said: It is better for me to pray in a mosque where I catch the last rak'ah than to catch the first rak'ah with an innovating imam and a mosque that has innovation.
The Shaykh : This is not correct.
The questioner : Shaykh, does this differ from the question?
Another questioner : What is your opinion, Shaykh, regarding our brother Abu Abdullah's presentation and clarification, in the form he mentioned?
The Shaykh : My brother, this statement is not intended to be applied literally; it is intended to encourage choosing the Sunni mosque over the innovated one.
The questioner : Yes, that is correct, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Therefore, I was thinking of a second question: Is this hypothetical or realistic?
The questioner : Shaykh, take the right, please, because our road is on the right. Yes, please!
Another questioner : Is it possible, Shaykh, to set a practical scenario that might clarify things? Now, I am on my way, and there are two mosques. The first mosque is an innovated mosque, as Abu Abdullah mentioned, with no preservation of the sunnah. Then, after a distance, there is a mosque whose imam is a Sunni imam, with preservation of the sunnah, to some extent. If I want to catch the opening takbir and catch the first takbir, I must pray in the first mosque. But if I want to reach the mosque whose imam is the Sunni imam, I might miss one or two rak'ahs, less or more. This scenario actually happens, Shaykh, in the mosques around us. So, is it better for me to pray in the first mosque to catch the opening takbir, or should I intend to go to that mosque to preserve my prayer behind this Sunni imam?
The Shaykh : The first one.
The questioner : The first one?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : I do not have an answer right now, because I imagined the issue to be hypothetical rather than practical. He should intend to go to the Sunni mosque; that is the original rule. As for this specific situation with this constraint, meaning, are you asking about something you have imagined, or a scenario that came to your mind that you are asking about?
The questioner : The original question is about preference, meaning.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The original question is about preference. If a person catches [the prayer] there, if he remains in this [mosque], from the perspective of preference, is it better for him than praying in the innovated mosque? Is this preference correct or not?
The Shaykh: I have no answer.
The questioner : Shaykh, I am impressed by your words sometimes when you say: "When speech is cut out, it is severed and does not make sense." This hadith is for me, for the sake of interpretation. I was speaking among the youth about innovations and sunnahs, and preserving the sunnahs and following the sunnah behind a Sunni imam, and the mosque is established upon the sunnah, and the brothers in it are seen to be upon the sunnah, and between a mosque that has innovations and people against the sunnah, who deny the imam and there is noise, so I said at that time, in this long speech, among the dangers I said: It is better for me to pray in a mosque where I catch the last rak'ah than to catch the first rak'ah with an innovating imam and a mosque that has innovation.
The Shaykh : This is not correct.
The questioner : Shaykh, does this differ from the question?
Another questioner : What is your opinion, Shaykh, regarding our brother Abu Abdullah's presentation and clarification, in the form he mentioned?
The Shaykh : My brother, this statement is not intended to be applied literally; it is intended to encourage choosing the Sunni mosque over the innovated one.
The questioner : Yes, that is correct, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Therefore, I was thinking of a second question: Is this hypothetical or realistic?
The questioner : Shaykh, take the right, please, because our road is on the right. Yes, please!
Another questioner : Is it possible, Shaykh, to set a practical scenario that might clarify things? Now, I am on my way, and there are two mosques. The first mosque is an innovated mosque, as Abu Abdullah mentioned, with no preservation of the sunnah. Then, after a distance, there is a mosque whose imam is a Sunni imam, with preservation of the sunnah, to some extent. If I want to catch the opening takbir and catch the first takbir, I must pray in the first mosque. But if I want to reach the mosque whose imam is the Sunni imam, I might miss one or two rak'ahs, less or more. This scenario actually happens, Shaykh, in the mosques around us. So, is it better for me to pray in the first mosque to catch the opening takbir, or should I intend to go to that mosque to preserve my prayer behind this Sunni imam?
The Shaykh : The first one.
The questioner : The first one?
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.