What is your advice to the young people who boycott the mosques that are attended by some innovators or those who shave their beards?

The questioner : We return to another issue you asked me about, and it was the last question. I listened to the recording and reviewed it, and I found that a part of the question remained unanswered.

The Shaykh : And what is it?

The questioner : When I told you: A group of our brothers in one of the cities are boycotting the mosques, and they are waiting for a ruling from you. If you tell them it is permissible, then, if Allah wills, they will be fully prepared to go to the mosques. Their excuses, as I mentioned to you, are that the mosques are associated with innovation, and that some of the imams shave their beards and let their garments hang below the ankles, among other things.

The Shaykh : Does this question have any connection to the group of Takfir and Hijrah?

The questioner : They seem to have abandoned some of the ideas, but some residues remain, including their boycotting of the mosques and not praying in them, and establishing the Friday prayer...

The Shaykh : If these people who boycotted the mosques are from the group of Hijrah and Takfir, the answer has already been given. But if they are from another group, meaning they were not influenced by the ideas of the group of Hijrah and Takfir, then such people are widespread in the Islamic world. They believe that praying behind some of the deviants or innovators, or the like, is not valid. In our belief, this is an exaggeration in the Shari'ah that has no basis. I do not know if you mentioned in that session or another one some of the legal texts, among which is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) regarding the imams: . Do you remember if we mentioned a hadith like this? We did not. So this is the answer: It is not permissible for any Muslim to miss the prayer in any of the mosques, as long as there is a Muslim imam praying in that mosque, even if there is some deviation in his appearance, his creed, or his behavior and morals from some of the rulings of the Shari'ah. Islam commands, as we all know, always and forever, unity and cohesion, and staying away from the causes of division. This reached the point where the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said this explicit hadith, indicating the validity of the prayer of the one who follows the imam, even if that imam is negligent in some aspects.
As he said (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), in the hadith of al-Bukhari from the narration of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: . So, even if we have an opinion, a command, or advice to direct to those people you mentioned, we command them with the command of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), who said regarding the imams what you just heard: . This is the answer.

The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.

The Shaykh : And may Allah protect you, if Allah wills. I think we have finished here now.
Brothers in faith, and now we are with another session: