What is the ruling on passing by the mosque next to one’s home to go to another mosque to pray because of the imam’s voice, given that there is a hadith narrated by al-Tabarani from Ibn ‘Umar?
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The questioner : What is the ruling on passing by the mosque next to one’s home to go to another mosque to pray because of the imam’s voice, given that there is a hadith in al-Tabarani’s Mu’jam, narrated by Nafi’ from Ibn ‘Umar, who said: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ?
The Shaykh : If a person leaves the mosque of his neighborhood because the imam is deficient in some aspect of the prayer, whether in the recitation, the bowing, or the prostration, as is the case with some imams in Ramadan who are greatly deficient in their bowing and prostration, and it is known that tranquility is a pillar of the prayer, even to the point that a man entered the mosque and prayed, then came and greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2692Sahih (Darussalam), then the man went back and prayed as he had prayed the first time, then returned and greeted the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2692Sahih (Darussalam), so he went back and prayed as he had prayed the first time, then returned to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and he said to him: Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2692Sahih (Darussalam), so he said: By Him who sent you with the truth, I do not know how to do anything other than this, so teach me? So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) taught him by saying: Bulugh al-Maram 2:139, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) made it clear that there is no prayer for one who does not have tranquility.
Some imams, may Allah guide them, in the tarawih prayer, hasten so much that they do not attain tranquility, and even if they do attain tranquility, those behind them do not attain tranquility. So if a person leaves the mosque of his neighborhood for this reason or for other things in which some imams are deficient, there is no blame on him for that, without doubt, and no one should criticize him. And if he leaves it while his prayer is perfect and complete, but he goes to another mosque because the reciter’s voice there is better than the voice of the neighborhood imam, or his recitation is more beautiful than the recitation of the neighborhood imam, then there is nothing wrong with this in principle, because there is nothing wrong with a person seeking one who has a better recitation and a more beautiful voice. It is established in the authentic hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 792c, and the meaning of is: He did not listen to anything as He listened to this Prophet who had a beautiful voice and would chant the Qur’an, raising his voice with it. This indicates that a beautiful voice and beautifying the voice with the Qur’an is a sought-after matter. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) listened to the recitation of Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: , and Abu Musa said to him: , meaning: I would have beautified it for you even more.
So the important thing is that there is no blame on a person for seeking one who has a more beautiful voice and a better performance, but if there is a harm in that, such as the people in the neighborhood mosque decreasing in number when they see this person, who is considered prominent in his neighborhood, if they see that he has gone to another mosque, they decrease and their resolve weakens, then here we say: Do not pass by your mosque, but pray in your mosque, because in that is the gathering of the people and the strengthening of the imam’s heart, and if you go, the people will disperse and the imam’s heart will be broken.
So the important thing is that a person looks to the higher interests in these matters and their like.
Let one of you pray in the mosque next to him and not pass by it to go to another
ليصلي أحدكم في المسجد الذي يليه ولا يتخطاه إلى غيرهThe Shaykh : If a person leaves the mosque of his neighborhood because the imam is deficient in some aspect of the prayer, whether in the recitation, the bowing, or the prostration, as is the case with some imams in Ramadan who are greatly deficient in their bowing and prostration, and it is known that tranquility is a pillar of the prayer, even to the point that a man entered the mosque and prayed, then came and greeted the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
go back and pray for indeed you have not prayed.
ارجع فصل فإنك لم تصلgo back and pray for indeed you have not prayed.
ارجع فصل فإنك لم تصلgo back and pray for indeed you have not prayed.
ارجع فصل فإنك لم تصلWhen you get up to pray, perform ablution perfectly, then face the Qiblah and say: 'Allahu Akbar' (Allah is the Most Great). Then recite a convenient portion of the Qur'an; then bow and remain calmly in that position for a moment, then rise up and stand erect; then prostrate and remain calmly in that position for a moment, then rise up and sit calmly, then prostrate and remain calmly in that position for a moment; then do that throughout your prayer.
إذا قمت إلى الصلاة فأسبغ الوضوء، ثم استقبل القبلة فكبر، ثم اقرأ ما تيسر معك من القرآن، ثم اركع حتى تطمئن راكعا، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئن قائما، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجدا، ثم ارفع حتى تطمئن جالسا، ثم اسجد حتى تطمئن ساجدا، ثم افعل ذلك في صلاتك كلهاSome imams, may Allah guide them, in the tarawih prayer, hasten so much that they do not attain tranquility, and even if they do attain tranquility, those behind them do not attain tranquility. So if a person leaves the mosque of his neighborhood for this reason or for other things in which some imams are deficient, there is no blame on him for that, without doubt, and no one should criticize him. And if he leaves it while his prayer is perfect and complete, but he goes to another mosque because the reciter’s voice there is better than the voice of the neighborhood imam, or his recitation is more beautiful than the recitation of the neighborhood imam, then there is nothing wrong with this in principle, because there is nothing wrong with a person seeking one who has a better recitation and a more beautiful voice. It is established in the authentic hadith that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
Allah does not listen to anything, (more approvingly) as He listens to a Prophet reciting loudly the Qur'an in a sweet voice.
ما أذن الله لشيء كإذنه لنبي حسن الصوت يتغنى بالقرآن يجهر بهAllah did not listen
ما أذن اللهIf you had seen me while I was listening to your recitation last night
لو رأيتني وأنا أستمع إلى قراءتك البارحةIf I had known, O Messenger of Allah, that you were listening to me, I would have beautified it for you even more
لو علمت يا رسول الله أنك تستمع إلي لحبرته لك تحبيراSo the important thing is that there is no blame on a person for seeking one who has a more beautiful voice and a better performance, but if there is a harm in that, such as the people in the neighborhood mosque decreasing in number when they see this person, who is considered prominent in his neighborhood, if they see that he has gone to another mosque, they decrease and their resolve weakens, then here we say: Do not pass by your mosque, but pray in your mosque, because in that is the gathering of the people and the strengthening of the imam’s heart, and if you go, the people will disperse and the imam’s heart will be broken.
So the important thing is that a person looks to the higher interests in these matters and their like.