If you would permit me, the statement of the one who says: "It is better for a man to pray in a Sunni mosque and catch the last rak'ah than to catch the opening takbir in an innovated mosque."
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The questioner : If you would permit me, there is a somewhat ambiguous phrase, for example: "It is better for a man to pray in a Sunni mosque and catch the last rak'ah than to catch the opening takbir in an innovated mosque". Is there clarification for this phrase?
The Shaykh : I do not have an answer right now, because I imagined the issue to be hypothetical rather than practical. He should intend to go to the Sunni mosque; that is the original rule. As for this specific situation with this constraint, I mean, are you asking about something you have imagined, or a scenario that came to your mind that you are asking about?
The questioner : The original question is about preference, meaning.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The original question is about preference. If a person catches [the prayer] there, if he remains in this [situation], from the perspective of preference, is it better for him than praying in the innovated mosque? Is this preference correct or not?
The Shaykh : I do not have an answer.
The questioner : My Shaykh, I like your words sometimes when you say: "When speech is cut out, it is severed, so it does not fit". This is my hadith, for the sake of interpretation. I was speaking among the youth about innovations and sunnahs, and preserving the sunnahs and following the Sunnah behind a Sunni imam, and the mosque is established upon the Sunnah, and the brothers in it are seen to be upon the Sunnah, and between a mosque that has innovations and people against the Sunnah, who deny the imam and there is noise, so I said at that time, in this long hadith, among the dangers I said: It is better for me to pray in a mosque where I catch the last rak'ah than to catch the first rak'ah with an innovating imam and a mosque that has innovation.
The Shaykh : This is not correct.
The questioner : It differs, my Shaykh. Is this correct regarding the question?
Another questioner: What is your opinion, my Shaykh, about this, meaning our brother Abu Abdullah's presentation and his clarification, meaning in the form he mentioned?
The Shaykh : My brother, this statement is not intended to be applied literally; it is intended to encourage choosing the Sunni mosque over the innovated one.
The questioner : Yes, this is correct, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Therefore, I was thinking of another question: Is this hypothetical or realistic?
The questioner : My Shaykh, take the right, please, because our road is on the right. Yes, please!
Another questioner: Is it possible, my Shaykh, to present a practical scenario that might clarify things? Right now, I am on my way to two mosques. The first mosque is an innovated mosque, as Abu Abdullah mentioned, with no preservation of the Sunnah. Then, after a distance, there is a mosque whose imam is a Sunnah imam, with preservation of the Sunnah, to some extent. If I want to catch the opening takbir and catch the first takbir, I must pray in the first mosque. But if I want to reach the mosque whose imam is the Sunnah imam, I might miss one or two rak'ahs, less or more. This scenario actually happens, my Shaykh, in the mosques around us. Is it better for me to pray in the first mosque so that I catch the opening takbir, or should I intend to go to that mosque to preserve my prayer behind this Sunni imam?
The Shaykh : The first one.
The questioner : The first one?
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : I do not have an answer right now, because I imagined the issue to be hypothetical rather than practical. He should intend to go to the Sunni mosque; that is the original rule. As for this specific situation with this constraint, I mean, are you asking about something you have imagined, or a scenario that came to your mind that you are asking about?
The questioner : The original question is about preference, meaning.
The Shaykh : How?
The questioner : The original question is about preference. If a person catches [the prayer] there, if he remains in this [situation], from the perspective of preference, is it better for him than praying in the innovated mosque? Is this preference correct or not?
The Shaykh : I do not have an answer.
The questioner : My Shaykh, I like your words sometimes when you say: "When speech is cut out, it is severed, so it does not fit". This is my hadith, for the sake of interpretation. I was speaking among the youth about innovations and sunnahs, and preserving the sunnahs and following the Sunnah behind a Sunni imam, and the mosque is established upon the Sunnah, and the brothers in it are seen to be upon the Sunnah, and between a mosque that has innovations and people against the Sunnah, who deny the imam and there is noise, so I said at that time, in this long hadith, among the dangers I said: It is better for me to pray in a mosque where I catch the last rak'ah than to catch the first rak'ah with an innovating imam and a mosque that has innovation.
The Shaykh : This is not correct.
The questioner : It differs, my Shaykh. Is this correct regarding the question?
Another questioner: What is your opinion, my Shaykh, about this, meaning our brother Abu Abdullah's presentation and his clarification, meaning in the form he mentioned?
The Shaykh : My brother, this statement is not intended to be applied literally; it is intended to encourage choosing the Sunni mosque over the innovated one.
The questioner : Yes, this is correct, my Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Therefore, I was thinking of another question: Is this hypothetical or realistic?
The questioner : My Shaykh, take the right, please, because our road is on the right. Yes, please!
Another questioner: Is it possible, my Shaykh, to present a practical scenario that might clarify things? Right now, I am on my way to two mosques. The first mosque is an innovated mosque, as Abu Abdullah mentioned, with no preservation of the Sunnah. Then, after a distance, there is a mosque whose imam is a Sunnah imam, with preservation of the Sunnah, to some extent. If I want to catch the opening takbir and catch the first takbir, I must pray in the first mosque. But if I want to reach the mosque whose imam is the Sunnah imam, I might miss one or two rak'ahs, less or more. This scenario actually happens, my Shaykh, in the mosques around us. Is it better for me to pray in the first mosque so that I catch the opening takbir, or should I intend to go to that mosque to preserve my prayer behind this Sunni imam?
The Shaykh : The first one.
The questioner : The first one?
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Yes