Benefits of the Hadith: (Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the building of mosques in the houses and that they be cleaned and perfumed.)
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The Shaykh : This hadith provides evidence for several issues, among which are:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was eager for his ummah (the Muslim community) to gather in this great act of worship, the prayer, in one place, and therefore he ordered the building of mosques.
Among them is that building mosques is a collective obligation (fard kifayah), because the default ruling for a command is obligation. The purpose of building mosques is to secure the mosque, and this is sufficient if done by one, two, three, or four people, so its construction is a collective obligation. There are hadiths regarding the virtue of building mosques, among which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):Mishkat al-Masabih 697 because the reward is of the same kind as the deed.
Among them is that it is obligatory to place a mosque in every neighborhood. It is obligatory to place a mosque in every neighborhood. This varies; this differs in terms of the ruling. If the neighborhoods are close together, is it necessary to build a mosque in every neighborhood? No. But if they are large or far apart, it is obligatory to build a mosque in every neighborhood, because the purpose is not achieved except by this.
Among the benefits of this hadith is the prescription (mashru') of cleaning the mosques, and this is of two types:
The first type is obligatory, by cleaning them from filth. The evidence for this is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):, and also indicating this is His saying, the Exalted: [Al-Hajj 22:26]
The second type is cleaning from harm that is not filth. The default ruling for this is that it is a recommended practice (sunnah), such as if a fallen leaf or a fallen feather or something similar is thrown in it. But if it is feared that these dirties will accumulate to form a bad, foul smell, then cleaning at that time becomes obligatory to remove the harm.
Among the benefits of this hadith is perfuming the mosques. As we said in the explanation, perfuming means removing the trace of harm and filth and the like, and perfuming means placing perfume in them. Both meanings are well known.
If someone were to say, "Why do you detail this detail when the hadith is one?" We say: Because the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) explains some of it by others. It is obligatory to take what indicates something from it according to what the other texts require, because the Shari'ah completes some of it by others. It is not possible for us to take one hadith and leave the other hadiths, just as it is not possible to take one verse and leave the other verses.
Among the benefits of this hadith, and let us look at this benefit, is that it is obligatory for the people of the neighborhoods to pray in their mosques. Is this possible? It involves some burden. As for the basis for the ruling of obligation, it is because we say: If people do not come to these mosques, their construction becomes futile and a waste of money with no benefit. It is known that the Shari'ah does not come with such a thing. So, their construction, or the obligation of their construction, is evidence for the obligation of attending them, otherwise there is no benefit. If this argument holds, that is what is required. If it does not hold, we say that the obligation of attending the mosques has other proofs, and that it is not permissible for people to be absent from the mosques and pray in their houses.
And his saying: "and he verified its marasil" Al-Tirmidhi verified its marasil. In the terminology of hadith scholars, marasil sometimes refers to what a Companion or a Successor who did not hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) elevated. That is, sometimes they mean by marasil this, and this is the specific marasil that the Successor attributed to whom? To the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) or to the Companion who did not hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So, those who did not reach the age of discernment during the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), if they narrate a hadith, what is it?
The student: Marasil.
The Shaykh : Marasil, because they did not hear it from him. We are certain that there is an intermediary between them and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, for he was born in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage. So if he attributed a hadith to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), we would say it is marasil. But is it a proof, I mean the marasil of a Companion, or not? The correct view is that it is a proof, because a Companion cannot attribute a hadith to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with certainty unless his narration is from a Companion or a trustworthy Successor. For they have a level of trustworthiness, fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and reverence for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that we do not have. Sometimes, among hadith scholars, marasil is used for what has a missing narrator in any part of the chain, and this is known by tracking. But do not think that whenever it is said in the compiled books that it is marasil, it means that the Successor or the Companion who did not hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) elevated it, because by tracking we found that they may use the term marasil for what has a missing narrator or more in any part.
Now, if a marasil and a wasil (connected chain) conflict, do we take the marasil because it is more cautious, or do we take the wasil because it has an increase in knowledge? The correct view is the second: that we take the wasil. The statement that we take the marasil because it is more cautious is countered by the statement that we take the wasil because it is more cautious, so that we do not leave a Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So the correct view is that if the wasil is trustworthy, we take its connection, because the connection is an increase, and what is the ruling on the increase of a trustworthy narrator?
The student: Accepted.
The Shaykh : Accepted.
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) was eager for his ummah (the Muslim community) to gather in this great act of worship, the prayer, in one place, and therefore he ordered the building of mosques.
Among them is that building mosques is a collective obligation (fard kifayah), because the default ruling for a command is obligation. The purpose of building mosques is to secure the mosque, and this is sufficient if done by one, two, three, or four people, so its construction is a collective obligation. There are hadiths regarding the virtue of building mosques, among which is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
If anyone builds a mosque for God, God will build a house for him in paradise.
من بنى لله مسجدا بنى الله له بيتا في الجنّةAmong them is that it is obligatory to place a mosque in every neighborhood. It is obligatory to place a mosque in every neighborhood. This varies; this differs in terms of the ruling. If the neighborhoods are close together, is it necessary to build a mosque in every neighborhood? No. But if they are large or far apart, it is obligatory to build a mosque in every neighborhood, because the purpose is not achieved except by this.
Among the benefits of this hadith is the prescription (mashru') of cleaning the mosques, and this is of two types:
The first type is obligatory, by cleaning them from filth. The evidence for this is his saying (peace and blessings be upon him and his family):
When the Bedouin urinated in the mosque, he said: Pour a bucket of water over his urine, or he said, a vessel of water.
حين بال الأعرابيّ في المسجد قال: أريقوا على بوله سجلا من ماء أو قال ذنوبا من ماءand purify My House for those who perform Tawaf and those who stand [in prayer] and those who bow and prostrate.
وطهّر بيتي للطائفين والقائمين والرّكّع السّجودThe second type is cleaning from harm that is not filth. The default ruling for this is that it is a recommended practice (sunnah), such as if a fallen leaf or a fallen feather or something similar is thrown in it. But if it is feared that these dirties will accumulate to form a bad, foul smell, then cleaning at that time becomes obligatory to remove the harm.
Among the benefits of this hadith is perfuming the mosques. As we said in the explanation, perfuming means removing the trace of harm and filth and the like, and perfuming means placing perfume in them. Both meanings are well known.
If someone were to say, "Why do you detail this detail when the hadith is one?
He ordered the building of mosques and that they be cleaned and perfumed.
أمر ببناء المساجد وأن تنظّف وتطيّبAmong the benefits of this hadith, and let us look at this benefit, is that it is obligatory for the people of the neighborhoods to pray in their mosques. Is this possible? It involves some burden. As for the basis for the ruling of obligation, it is because we say: If people do not come to these mosques, their construction becomes futile and a waste of money with no benefit. It is known that the Shari'ah does not come with such a thing. So, their construction, or the obligation of their construction, is evidence for the obligation of attending them, otherwise there is no benefit. If this argument holds, that is what is required. If it does not hold, we say that the obligation of attending the mosques has other proofs, and that it is not permissible for people to be absent from the mosques and pray in their houses.
And his saying: "and he verified its marasil" Al-Tirmidhi verified its marasil. In the terminology of hadith scholars, marasil sometimes refers to what a Companion or a Successor who did not hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) elevated. That is, sometimes they mean by marasil this, and this is the specific marasil that the Successor attributed to whom? To the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) or to the Companion who did not hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So, those who did not reach the age of discernment during the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), if they narrate a hadith, what is it?
The student: Marasil.
The Shaykh : Marasil, because they did not hear it from him. We are certain that there is an intermediary between them and the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), such as Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr, for he was born in the year of the Farewell Pilgrimage. So if he attributed a hadith to the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), we would say it is marasil. But is it a proof, I mean the marasil of a Companion, or not? The correct view is that it is a proof, because a Companion cannot attribute a hadith to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) with certainty unless his narration is from a Companion or a trustworthy Successor. For they have a level of trustworthiness, fear of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and reverence for the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) that we do not have. Sometimes, among hadith scholars, marasil is used for what has a missing narrator in any part of the chain, and this is known by tracking. But do not think that whenever it is said in the compiled books that it is marasil, it means that the Successor or the Companion who did not hear from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) elevated it, because by tracking we found that they may use the term marasil for what has a missing narrator or more in any part.
Now, if a marasil and a wasil (connected chain) conflict, do we take the marasil because it is more cautious, or do we take the wasil because it has an increase in knowledge? The correct view is the second: that we take the wasil. The statement that we take the marasil because it is more cautious is countered by the statement that we take the wasil because it is more cautious, so that we do not leave a Sunnah from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). So the correct view is that if the wasil is trustworthy, we take its connection, because the connection is an increase, and what is the ruling on the increase of a trustworthy narrator?
The student: Accepted.
The Shaykh : Accepted.