What is the ruling on praying the congregational prayer in the courtyard of the mosque?

The questioner : Well, on another point, O Shaykh, regarding the imam outside the mosque, meaning on a day other than Friday, meaning in the sun outside the mosque, they used to pray there outside the mosque entirely, they would pray the midday prayer there or...

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner : Outside the mosque, O Shaykh, they pray the midday prayer on a day other than Friday, not on any day of the year, they pray outside the mosque in the sun, meaning far from the mosque's precinct entirely, is this permissible, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : What are they praying?

The questioner : They are praying the midday prayer, they are praying an obligatory prayer.

The Shaykh : Not in the middle of the precinct, in the middle of the mosque building.

The questioner : Outside the mosque, O Shaykh, the mosque, the mosque.

The Shaykh : Listen, my brother, the mosque has, so to speak, a precinct, they call it the inner covered area.

The questioner : Yes, yes.

The Shaykh : And there is an outer section.

The questioner : Yes, I understand you.

The Shaykh : The mosque's courtyard.

The questioner : I understand.

The Shaykh : So if they pray in the mosque's courtyard, it is as if they prayed in the mosque's precinct.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : As for going outside the mosque building, this is not permissible.

The questioner : Inside the wall, for example.

The Shaykh: Ah, yes.