Should it not be said that one of the proofs for the obligation of the greeting of the mosque is the two rak'ahs of tawaf, since the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not sit until he prayed them?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you. You said that the tawaf of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was without praying two rak'ahs, and this refutes the claim that the greeting of the mosque is obligatory.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Someone might say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not sit until he prayed two rak'ahs, and those were the two rak'ahs of tawaf.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So does this not mean that it strengthens the view that it is obligatory?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is a valid objection on the surface, but it is not valid in reality. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considered tawaf to be equivalent to staying in the mosque. He prohibited a menstruating woman from performing tawaf so that she would not stay in the mosque. Therefore, if a person enters the mosque at, for example, ten o'clock and says he wants to stay until the midday prayer, but he starts walking around, moving back and forth in the mosque without sitting, do we say in this case that he has made a mistake and tell him to pray first and then walk around the mosque?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, we say so. We say this because his moving around within the mosque premises, and the statement of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that one should not sit, is based on the general rule that a person does not enter the mosque for the purpose of performing tawaf. Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes?
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Someone might say that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) did not sit until he prayed two rak'ahs, and those were the two rak'ahs of tawaf.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So does this not mean that it strengthens the view that it is obligatory?
The Shaykh : Yes, this is a valid objection on the surface, but it is not valid in reality. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considered tawaf to be equivalent to staying in the mosque. He prohibited a menstruating woman from performing tawaf so that she would not stay in the mosque. Therefore, if a person enters the mosque at, for example, ten o'clock and says he wants to stay until the midday prayer, but he starts walking around, moving back and forth in the mosque without sitting, do we say in this case that he has made a mistake and tell him to pray first and then walk around the mosque?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes, we say so. We say this because his moving around within the mosque premises, and the statement of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) that one should not sit, is based on the general rule that a person does not enter the mosque for the purpose of performing tawaf. Yes, that is correct.
The questioner : Shaykh?
The Shaykh : Yes?