Ruling on Taking Children to Mosques
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The questioner: What is the ruling on bringing young children who are below the age of discernment, who wear diapers that may contain, or mostly contain, impurity? And if they are present, are they to be expelled or not?
Bringing young children to the mosques is permissible as long as they do not cause harm. If they do cause harm, they are to be prevented from coming; but the way to prevent them is to contact their guardians and say: Your children are disturbing us, causing us harm, and so on. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would enter his prayer intending to lengthen it, but when he heard a child crying, he would shorten his prayer for fear that the mother would be distressed. This indicates that children were present in the mosques.But as we said: If they cause harm, they are to be prevented through their guardians; so that no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs. Because if you expel a seven-year-old child who is causing harm in the mosque and hit him, his father will stand up against you. Because most people nowadays do not have justice or fairness, and they will speak to you, and perhaps enmity and hatred will result.
So the solution to the issue is: We prevent them through their fathers so that no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs in that.
As for the issue of bringing them, it is not the best to bring them; but a mother may be compelled to bring them; because there is no one in the house, and she wants to attend the lesson, and she wants to attend the standing prayer in Ramadan, and so on.
In any case: If bringing him causes harm, or if his father—for example—is disturbed in his prayer due to his care for the child, then he should not bring him. Then, if he is a small child who wears diapers, he will not benefit from attending. As for one who is seven years old or older, whom we were commanded to command to pray, they benefit from attending the mosques. But you cannot judge every person; perhaps the child’s mother is not present, she is dead, or she went to work that is necessary.And there is no one in the house, so he is now between two things: Either he leaves the congregational prayer and sits with his child, or he brings him. He weighs the options and looks at what is stronger.
Bringing young children to the mosques is permissible as long as they do not cause harm. If they do cause harm, they are to be prevented from coming; but the way to prevent them is to contact their guardians and say: Your children are disturbing us, causing us harm, and so on. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) would enter his prayer intending to lengthen it, but when he heard a child crying, he would shorten his prayer for fear that the mother would be distressed. This indicates that children were present in the mosques.But as we said: If they cause harm, they are to be prevented through their guardians; so that no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs. Because if you expel a seven-year-old child who is causing harm in the mosque and hit him, his father will stand up against you. Because most people nowadays do not have justice or fairness, and they will speak to you, and perhaps enmity and hatred will result.
So the solution to the issue is: We prevent them through their fathers so that no fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) occurs in that.
As for the issue of bringing them, it is not the best to bring them; but a mother may be compelled to bring them; because there is no one in the house, and she wants to attend the lesson, and she wants to attend the standing prayer in Ramadan, and so on.
In any case: If bringing him causes harm, or if his father—for example—is disturbed in his prayer due to his care for the child, then he should not bring him. Then, if he is a small child who wears diapers, he will not benefit from attending. As for one who is seven years old or older, whom we were commanded to command to pray, they benefit from attending the mosques. But you cannot judge every person; perhaps the child’s mother is not present, she is dead, or she went to work that is necessary.And there is no one in the house, so he is now between two things: Either he leaves the congregational prayer and sits with his child, or he brings him. He weighs the options and looks at what is stronger.