Ruling on Moving from One Mosque to Another
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Moving from one mosque to another because of the sunnah in the imam, whether in knowledge or in fiqh, is fine. However, moving from one mosque to another merely to increase the number of steps taken or to make a show of effort is not permissible and is not prescribed. This is what is intended by the hadith.
The questioner : What if I have a beautiful voice in the loud prayers?
The Shaykh : If the voice is beautiful in reality and is beautiful according to the Shari'ah, then it is sought for the sake of beauty in the Shari'ah. But if it is for personal preference, then it is not.
The questioner : Very well, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, it has become official now. But this manuscript should have been typed on a typewriter; it would look better.
The questioner: Hehehe.
The Shaykh : And you didn't date it?
The student : I want it from your blessed hand.
The Shaykh : Yes, what Allah willed. Shall I date it for you in Arabic or in French?
The student : No, in Arabic, hehe.
Another student: Today in Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The Shaykh : Today it is the sixth, what?
The student: Yes.
Another student: In Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : In Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The Shaykh : In Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And with us it is like this?
The student : The sixth of Rabi' al-Akhir.
The Shaykh : How?
The student : The sixth of Rabi' al-Akhir.
The Shaykh : And with us it is like this. I say, why are you specifying Saudi Arabia?
The student : I said earlier...
The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah wills, this is the sixth of Rabi' al-Akhir.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Rather, it is understanding that Allah grants...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And what is the meaning of[An-Nisa 4:83]?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And what is the meaning of His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):Sahih Muslim 1037a? We naturally agree that this is not the declarative fiqh in the hadith.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But there is another fiqh that people do not pay much attention to. You will find someone who does not know, as our brothers in Aleppo and Idlib used to say, "he does not know the five from the ten," and he will ask you a precise question, and you will tell him it is permissible or not permissible, and he will ask, "What is the evidence?"
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What could the hadith be understood to mean? Have you provided us with your support?
The student : It is difficult for me to say that I agreed with you in this understanding before this.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed.
The student : So the objectors objected, and I said that the intended meaning is making a show of effort, or perhaps a person might go past his mosque to a Friday sermon that benefits him, while in his mosque the sermon is not well delivered, or the prayer is not well performed, or the mosque's imam is an innovator, among other matters that are understood from the general Shari'ah and the general texts regarding the permissibility of seeking good and the benefit of the person.
The Shaykh : Also, what is the ruling on the one who says the opposite?
The student : That he has not understood the correct fiqh.
The Shaykh : No.
The student : The prohibition as well.
The Shaykh : What does the prohibition mean?
The student : The prohibition of moving from one mosque to another, and he prays in his mosque; they are prohibited.
The Shaykh : If there are two mosques, one to his right and one to his left, and one mosque is farther than the other, he sees that it is not permissible to go to the farther one.
The student : Yes, because this involves passing by his mosque and moving to the other mosque.
The Shaykh : What is the meaning of moving from one mosque to another? One moves to the nearest mosque, and another moves to the...
The student : ...he prohibited moving from one mosque to another.
The Shaykh : It is a shot that misses the target a bit; you have not benefited me with anything new in this correction.
The student : That is, they add this weak hadith to this hadith...
The Shaykh : Rather, this weak hadith is what leads them to what I mentioned about them, because I depicted for you a mosque here and a mosque there; this mosque is farther by meters than this one, so he sees that he should pray here and not here. What distinguishes this from that? He said in his first argument that there is moving from one mosque to another, and here there is also moving from one mosque to another, meaning his adherence to this mosque, for example, to his right or to his left, according to the nearest. Now, this matter is also called moving from one mosque to another, but the intended meaning is not this meaning from the hadith, but rather sometimes he is in this mosque and sometimes in this mosque, sometimes in that one, and so on. This is moving from one mosque to another. So if he prays in one mosque, for example, those who pray in the Prophet's Mosque or in the Makkah Mosque, are they said to be moving from one mosque to another? The answer is no. Here, it is fully understood that it will be said, "No, these are mosques with a special virtue, and for the sake of this virtue, traveling to them is prescribed." Okay, this is noted. Let us leave these mosques that were given a special virtue and move to other mosques, as I said earlier. This one prays in the mosque to his right, and that one prays in the mosque to his left. Is one of them moving from one mosque to another?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : The answer is no. So their fiqh has gone beyond the evidence of this hadith, and rather they proceeded from that hadith. Many, indeed most of them, do not know that it is a weak hadith. And we do not say that if it were an authentic hadith, it would be obligatory for the neighbor of the mosque to pray in it and not go beyond it. This is the fiqh of this hadith. They are correct in their fiqh of this hadith, and they are wrong in their reliance on this weak hadith.
The student : In fact, your mention of the issue of the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque clarifies the matter now.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills.
The student : Because moving to the mosque is for a religious benefit.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : As for moving to another mosque for a religious benefit, it is permissible.
The Shaykh: It is known.
The student : Okay, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : You are welcome, right away.
The student : Straight ahead.
The Shaykh : We entrust you to Allah regarding your religion, your trust, and the conclusion of your deeds. The important thing is that you did not travel until you obtained it.
The questioner : What if I have a beautiful voice in the loud prayers?
The Shaykh : If the voice is beautiful in reality and is beautiful according to the Shari'ah, then it is sought for the sake of beauty in the Shari'ah. But if it is for personal preference, then it is not.
The questioner : Very well, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, it has become official now. But this manuscript should have been typed on a typewriter; it would look better.
The questioner: Hehehe.
The Shaykh : And you didn't date it?
The student : I want it from your blessed hand.
The Shaykh : Yes, what Allah willed. Shall I date it for you in Arabic or in French?
The student : No, in Arabic, hehe.
Another student: Today in Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The Shaykh : Today it is the sixth, what?
The student: Yes.
Another student: In Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : In Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The Shaykh : In Saudi Arabia it is the sixth.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : And with us it is like this?
The student : The sixth of Rabi' al-Akhir.
The Shaykh : How?
The student : The sixth of Rabi' al-Akhir.
The Shaykh : And with us it is like this. I say, why are you specifying Saudi Arabia?
The student : I said earlier...
The Shaykh : Yes, if Allah wills, this is the sixth of Rabi' al-Akhir.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Rather, it is understanding that Allah grants...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And what is the meaning of
then the ones who [can] draw correct conclusions from it would have known about it
لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : And what is the meaning of His saying (peace and blessings be upon him):
He upon whom Allah intends to bestow goodness, He confers upon him an insight in religion
مَن يُرِدِ الله به خيرًا يفقِّهْه في الدينThe questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But there is another fiqh that people do not pay much attention to. You will find someone who does not know, as our brothers in Aleppo and Idlib used to say, "he does not know the five from the ten," and he will ask you a precise question, and you will tell him it is permissible or not permissible, and he will ask, "What is the evidence?"
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : What could the hadith be understood to mean? Have you provided us with your support?
The student : It is difficult for me to say that I agreed with you in this understanding before this.
The Shaykh : What Allah willed.
The student : So the objectors objected, and I said that the intended meaning is making a show of effort, or perhaps a person might go past his mosque to a Friday sermon that benefits him, while in his mosque the sermon is not well delivered, or the prayer is not well performed, or the mosque's imam is an innovator, among other matters that are understood from the general Shari'ah and the general texts regarding the permissibility of seeking good and the benefit of the person.
The Shaykh : Also, what is the ruling on the one who says the opposite?
The student : That he has not understood the correct fiqh.
The Shaykh : No.
The student : The prohibition as well.
The Shaykh : What does the prohibition mean?
The student : The prohibition of moving from one mosque to another, and he prays in his mosque; they are prohibited.
The Shaykh : If there are two mosques, one to his right and one to his left, and one mosque is farther than the other, he sees that it is not permissible to go to the farther one.
The student : Yes, because this involves passing by his mosque and moving to the other mosque.
The Shaykh : What is the meaning of moving from one mosque to another? One moves to the nearest mosque, and another moves to the...
The student : ...he prohibited moving from one mosque to another.
The Shaykh : It is a shot that misses the target a bit; you have not benefited me with anything new in this correction.
The student : That is, they add this weak hadith to this hadith...
The Shaykh : Rather, this weak hadith is what leads them to what I mentioned about them, because I depicted for you a mosque here and a mosque there; this mosque is farther by meters than this one, so he sees that he should pray here and not here. What distinguishes this from that? He said in his first argument that there is moving from one mosque to another, and here there is also moving from one mosque to another, meaning his adherence to this mosque, for example, to his right or to his left, according to the nearest. Now, this matter is also called moving from one mosque to another, but the intended meaning is not this meaning from the hadith, but rather sometimes he is in this mosque and sometimes in this mosque, sometimes in that one, and so on. This is moving from one mosque to another. So if he prays in one mosque, for example, those who pray in the Prophet's Mosque or in the Makkah Mosque, are they said to be moving from one mosque to another? The answer is no. Here, it is fully understood that it will be said, "No, these are mosques with a special virtue, and for the sake of this virtue, traveling to them is prescribed." Okay, this is noted. Let us leave these mosques that were given a special virtue and move to other mosques, as I said earlier. This one prays in the mosque to his right, and that one prays in the mosque to his left. Is one of them moving from one mosque to another?
The student: No.
The Shaykh : The answer is no. So their fiqh has gone beyond the evidence of this hadith, and rather they proceeded from that hadith. Many, indeed most of them, do not know that it is a weak hadith. And we do not say that if it were an authentic hadith, it would be obligatory for the neighbor of the mosque to pray in it and not go beyond it. This is the fiqh of this hadith. They are correct in their fiqh of this hadith, and they are wrong in their reliance on this weak hadith.
The student : In fact, your mention of the issue of the Sacred Mosque and the Prophet's Mosque clarifies the matter now.
The Shaykh : If Allah wills.
The student : Because moving to the mosque is for a religious benefit.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : As for moving to another mosque for a religious benefit, it is permissible.
The Shaykh: It is known.
The student : Okay, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : You are welcome, right away.
The student : Straight ahead.
The Shaykh : We entrust you to Allah regarding your religion, your trust, and the conclusion of your deeds. The important thing is that you did not travel until you obtained it.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.