What is the ruling on performing the festival prayer in the open-air prayer ground?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : You heard them say it is in the open area. I know from the Sunnah that our master Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) used to pray in the open area, far from the time when they pray the festival prayer. Here, the congregational mosques are close, and there is no open area far away, so I do not know what your opinion is on this matter?
The Shaykh : You say that the mosques are close. If the mosques are close, does that mean they pray in the mosques!?
The questioner : I do not know which is better?
The Shaykh : The better one, without doubt, is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) actually prayed the festival prayer in the open area, but not as far away as you say. No, you must have performed 'Umrah and gone to Madinah, right?
The questioner : No, by Allah, I did not go.
The Shaykh : You did not go?
The questioner : It was from the Sunnah that we would go, but due to circumstances...
The Shaykh : Good. I meant, I was assuming you had gone to Madinah, where you would see the mosque and the cemetery of al-Baqi' there. The cemetery of al-Baqi' is close to it, between the cemetery and the mosque was the festival prayer ground. That was close to the house of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and his house was close to the mosque. The point regarding the festival prayer is the transition from the built-up mosque to the open area. One observes in the festival prayer the sequence of the wise Lawgiver in some of the rulings of the Shari'ah. There are four gatherings among the Muslims every year, and these gatherings differ in the size of the congregation, from few to many. The first gathering established and commanded by the wise Lawgiver is the congregational prayer. The second gathering is the Friday prayer. The third gathering is the prayer of the two festivals. The fourth gathering, and the last of all gatherings, is the gathering at Mount 'Arafah, which is the largest gathering realized for the Muslims, and perhaps in the entire world. The first gathering, the congregational prayer, is prescribed in every neighborhood mosque, a mosque for a neighborhood or district, but it is not prescribed that there be a congregational mosque in every neighborhood. A congregational mosque must gather several districts, several residents of neighborhoods, so that this second gathering has a wider circle than the first gathering. Is this picture clear?
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Then comes the third gathering. The congregations usually gather in the mosques, and the congregations that gather in the congregational mosques where Friday prayer is performed, this congregation and that one gather in the festival prayer in the open area. That is, the congregational mosque on Friday gathers several districts, several localities, whereas in the festival prayer ground, all the congregations that gather in the congregational mosques must gather there.
The Shaykh : You say that the mosques are close. If the mosques are close, does that mean they pray in the mosques!?
The questioner : I do not know which is better?
The Shaykh : The better one, without doubt, is what the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) actually prayed the festival prayer in the open area, but not as far away as you say. No, you must have performed 'Umrah and gone to Madinah, right?
The questioner : No, by Allah, I did not go.
The Shaykh : You did not go?
The questioner : It was from the Sunnah that we would go, but due to circumstances...
The Shaykh : Good. I meant, I was assuming you had gone to Madinah, where you would see the mosque and the cemetery of al-Baqi' there. The cemetery of al-Baqi' is close to it, between the cemetery and the mosque was the festival prayer ground. That was close to the house of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), and his house was close to the mosque. The point regarding the festival prayer is the transition from the built-up mosque to the open area. One observes in the festival prayer the sequence of the wise Lawgiver in some of the rulings of the Shari'ah. There are four gatherings among the Muslims every year, and these gatherings differ in the size of the congregation, from few to many. The first gathering established and commanded by the wise Lawgiver is the congregational prayer. The second gathering is the Friday prayer. The third gathering is the prayer of the two festivals. The fourth gathering, and the last of all gatherings, is the gathering at Mount 'Arafah, which is the largest gathering realized for the Muslims, and perhaps in the entire world. The first gathering, the congregational prayer, is prescribed in every neighborhood mosque, a mosque for a neighborhood or district, but it is not prescribed that there be a congregational mosque in every neighborhood. A congregational mosque must gather several districts, several residents of neighborhoods, so that this second gathering has a wider circle than the first gathering. Is this picture clear?
The questioner : May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Then comes the third gathering. The congregations usually gather in the mosques, and the congregations that gather in the congregational mosques where Friday prayer is performed, this congregation and that one gather in the festival prayer in the open area. That is, the congregational mosque on Friday gathers several districts, several localities, whereas in the festival prayer ground, all the congregations that gather in the congregational mosques must gather there.
Source
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The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.