By Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin ibn Muhammad al-Qasim – 24 Rabiul Awwal 1438

His Eminence Sheikh Abdul-Muhsin ibn Muhammad al-Qasim, may Allah preserve him, delivered the Friday khutbah entitled, “The Honour and Lofty Position of Mosques,” in which he talked about the high position mosques occupy in Islam, their great importance, and the virtue of performing the prayer in them, stating the three great mosques mentioned in the Sunnah of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. He shed some light on the good manners that Muslims should observe regarding mosques. He also mentioned the trials and adversities that have befallen many Muslim countries, reminding Muslims of the calamities that the early Muslims suffered during the time of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and urging them to derive lessons from them.

Praise be to Allah. We praise Him and seek His help and forgiveness. We seek refuge in Allah from the evil within ourselves and from our wrong deeds. He whom Allah guides, none can misguide, and he whom Allah sends astray, none can guide. I bear witness that there is no god but Allah alone, Who has no partners, and I bear witness that Muhammad is His servant and messenger. May Allah bestow his bountiful peace and blessings upon him and upon his family and Companions.

Now then, O Servants of Allah!

Fear Allah as He should be feared, and grasp the trustworthy handhold of Islam.

O Muslims!
Allah has favoured some of His creatures over others and has given preference to whatever He wills, all by His grace. He commands us to worship Him by knowing what the sacred texts deem better and abiding by the rules prescribed in them. This prompts Muslims to take the lead in doing meritorious deeds and competing with one another for the highest degrees of righteousness. The criterion for favouring some of Allah’s creatures over others is that of piety and fulfilling servitude to Allah. People vary in this considerably. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, once said of two men, “This [poor man] is better than so many of the other filling the earth” (Reported by al-Bukhari). Similarly, places on the earth vary in merit, and the dearest of them to Allah are the places where He is worshipped. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “The most beloved places to Allah are the mosques” (Reported by Muslim). This is because they are singled out as places where acts of worship are performed, statements of remembrance of Allah are recited, the believers are gathered together, and religious rituals are practised openly.

The greatest and most honourable of all mosques is the Sacred Mosque of Makkah. It is the first house of worship ever set for mankind on earth, and has always been a lighthouse that guides people to the truth. Allah, Glorified be He, says:
“Verily, the first House (of worship) appointed for mankind was that at Bakkah (Makkah), full of blessing, and a guidance for the ‘Alamin (mankind and jinn).” (Al ‘Imran: 96)

Allah has made it one of the pillars of Islam to perform pilgrimage to it and circumambulate it. He has chosen it as the qiblah for His believing servants, i.e. the direction that they face whenever they perform their prayers. One single prayer in it is equal in reward to one hundred thousand prayers in any other mosque.

Next to it in virtue is the Mosque of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, in al-Madinah, which was founded on piety from the first day. Offering one prayer in it is better than offering one thousand prayers in any other mosque, except for the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. It is also the last mosque ever built by a prophet. Next in merit comes al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem, which was the Muslims’ first qiblah and the place to which the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, was taken on his Night Journey (al-Isra’). It was the second mosque to be set up on the earth, the first being the Sacred Mosque in Makkah.

Muslims are not allowed to set out on a journey to any mosque other than these three. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No Muslim should undertake a journey to visit any mosque other than these three: this mosque of mine [i.e. the Prophet’s Mosque in al-Madinah], the Sacred Mosque [in Makkah], and al-Aqsa Mosque [in Jerusalem]” (Agreed upon). Shaikh al-Islam Ibn Taimiyah, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “It is not allowed to undertake a journey to any mosque other than these three, according to the consensus of scholars.”

Quba’ Mosque in al-Madinah was founded on piety from the first day. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to visit it every Saturday, walking or riding. He said, “Whoever performs ablution (wudu’) at home and then goes to Quba’ Mosque and performs a prayer in it will be granted a reward equal to that of performing ‘Umrah” (Reported by Ibn Majah). No mosque on earth is more meritorious than these three mosques and Quba’ Mosque; all other mosques are equal in terms of merit.

Mosques are the Houses of Allah. He attributes them to Himself to show their honour and great esteem and frequently mentions them in the Qur’an. Those who frequent mosques are the best of all creation, namely, the prophets and their followers. Allah, Glorified be He, says: “And (remember) when Ibrahim (Abraham) and (his son) Ismail (Ishmael) were raising the foundations of the House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah) …” (Al-Baqarah: 127).

When the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, arrived in Quba’, he built Quba’ Mosque there; and when he settled in al-Madinah, he built his own mosque in it.

It is Allah’s will that He has made the safety and protection of mosques dependent upon His law of checking one group of people by means of another. Allah, Exalted be He, says: “… For had it not been that Allah checks one set of people by means of another, monasteries, churches, synagogues, and mosques, wherein the Name of Allah is mentioned much would surely have been pulled down.” (Al-Hajj: 40)

Building mosques is a means of drawing near to Allah as well as an act of worship. Allah has promised Paradise to those who build them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If anyone builds a mosque for the sake of Allah, Allah will build a house for him like it in Paradise” (Agreed upon).

He who frequents mosques will have a great reward. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “For each step he takes, Allah records for him a good deed, raises him a degree, and forgives one of his sins” (Reported by Muslim). Even when he returns home from the mosque, he will be granted the same rewards. A man once said to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “I wish that my steps towards the mosque and back from it to return to my family would be recorded as good deeds for me.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon, said, “Allah has granted you all that” (Reported by Muslim).

Frequent walking to mosques and waiting for the prayers is one form of steadfastness and mindfulness in religion, just like guarding the frontiers for the sake of Allah. In addition, The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If any of you goes to the mosque at dawn or dusk (for prayer), Allah will prepare for him a hospitable abode in Paradise whenever he goes” (Agreed upon). The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, also said:

“The one who will receive the highest reward for prayer is the one who walks the farthest distance to the mosque, followed in reward by the one who is next to him in distance. And the one who waits until he performs the prayer with the imam will receive a greater reward than the one who performs the prayer alone and goes to bed.” (Agreed upon)

Walking to mosques is one of the means of having one’s sins forgiven. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If anyone performs ablution properly for prayer, walks out to perform the obligatory prayer, and offers it along with people, with the congregation, or in the mosque, Allah will forgive him his sins” (Reported by Muslim).

Loving mosques and being attached to them are among the means of attaining guidance and righteousness. Among the seven types of people whom Allah will shade under His Shade on the day when there is no shade except His is a man whose heart is attached to mosques. An-Nawawi, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “This refers to the one who loves mosques very much and eagerly persists in offering the congregational prayers in them.” The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When a Muslim enters the mosque he is considered in prayer as long as he is waiting for the prayer; the angels keep on praying to Allah for him as long as he is sitting in the place where he prays, saying, ‘O Allah! Be Merciful to him. O Allah! Forgive him’” (Reported by al-Bukhari).

Mosques were also honoured among the previous nations. Allah commanded Prophets Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma‘il (Ishmael) to purify the Sacred Mosque. Allah says: “… and We commanded Ibrahim (Abraham) and Isma‘il (Ishmael) that they should purify My House (the Ka‘bah at Makkah) for those who are circumambulating it, or staying (I‘tikaf), or bowing or prostrating themselves (there, in prayer).” (Al-Baqarah: 125)

‘Imran’s wife vowed to Allah to dedicate the child she had conceived to the service of al-Aqsa Mosque. Allah tells us in the Qur’an that she said: “O my Lord! I have vowed to You what (the child that) is in my womb to be dedicated for Your services (free from all worldly work; to serve Your Place of worship).” (Al ‘Imran: 35)

Islam holds mosques in high esteem and honours those who clean them and carry out their maintenance. Once the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, asked his Companions about a woman who used to clean his mosque and they informed him that she had died. Thereupon, he said, “Show me her grave.” When they did, he went to her grave and performed the funeral prayer for her (Reported by al-Bukhari). When a Bedouin urinated in the mosque, the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered that a bucket of water be poured over the urine, then he taught the man the sanctity of mosques and said to him, “These mosques are not the proper place for urine” (Reported by Muslim).

The good manners that should be observed when going to the mosque include wearing clean, appropriate clothes. Allah, Exalted be He, says: “O Children of Adam! Take your adornment (by wearing your clean clothes), while praying and going round (the Tawaf of) the Ka‘bah …” (Al-A‘raf: 31)

One sign of honouring mosques is to maintain peaceful and dignified demeanour in one’s appearance and way of walking to them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “If the congregational prayer has started, do not come to it running, but come walking with tranquillity. Perform whatever you catch up of it [with the imam]; and make up for whatever you have missed of it” (Agreed upon).
When one arrives at a mosque, one should enter it with the right foot first, by way of honouring it. Since a mosque is a place of worship, mercy, and supplication, one should say on entering it, “O Allah! Open for me the gates of Your mercy.” Upon leaving it, one should say, “O Allah! I ask You for Your grace” (Reported by Muslim). As a form of respect, one should not sit down upon entering a mosque before performing a two-rak‘ah prayer.

The call to prayer (adhan) in mosques is an indication of protection and safety. The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, used to listen out for the adhan when he went out for war, and if he heard it, he would refrain from carrying a raid on the enemies, otherwise he would launch an attack on them. The foremost among the righteous compete with one another to occupy the front rows in mosques. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Were people to know the reward of reciting the adhan and standing in the first row in prayer, they would do all that they could to attain them, even if they had to draw lots for them” (Reported by Muslim).

To show respect to the obligatory prayer in mosques, no prayer is to be performed except for the obligatory prayer when the iqamah (the immediate call to prayer) is recited. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, indicated the reason behind maintaining mosques, saying, “They are but for the remembrance of Allah, Might and Majesty be to Him, the performance of prayers, and the recitation of the Qur’an” (Reported by Muslim).

Infusing life into mosques can be achieved by remembering Allah and seeking religious knowledge in them. Allah, Glorified be He, says:
“In houses (mosques) which Allah has ordered to be raised (to be cleaned, and to be honoured), in them His Name is remembered [i.e. Adhan, Iqamah, Salat (prayers), invocations, recitation of the Qur’an etc.] …” (An-Nur: 36)

Allah praises those who maintain mosques by performing acts of obedience in them, describing them as men whom Allah has guarded from the trials of this worldly life: “… Therein glorify Him (Allah) in the mornings and in the afternoons or the evenings, men whom neither trade nor sale (business) diverts from the Remembrance of Allah (with heart and tongue), nor from performing As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat), nor from giving the Zakat. They fear a Day when hearts and eyes will be overturned (out of the horror of the torment of the Day of Resurrection).” (An-Nur: 36-7)

He even bears witness that they have faith and are rightly guided. Allah, Glorified be He, says: “The Mosques of Allah shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day; perform As-Salat (Iqamat-as-Salat) and give Zakat and fear none but Allah. It is they who are on true guidance.” (At-Taubah: 18)

The angels also attend mosques, listen to khutbahs, and surround knowledge gatherings in them. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “No group of people assemble in one of the Houses of Allah to recite and learn the Book of Allah but tranquillity descends upon them, mercy engulfs them, the angels surround them, and Allah makes mention of them to those who are with Him” (Reported by Muslim). Seeking knowledge in mosques is better than all the worldly riches and pleasures. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Would any of you not like to go out in the morning to the mosque and learn (or recite) two verses of the Book of Allah? They are better for him than two she-camels, and three verses are better than three she-camels, and four verses are better for him than four, and the same is true of any number of verses.” (Reported by Muslim)

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, used his Mosque in al-Madinah as a place for teaching Muslims about their religion, and thus gave rise to a truly unique, unprecedented generation, the like of which will never be raised again. He encouraged Muslims to join circles of learning and remembrance of Allah in his mosque. He once talked about three people and said, “One of them sought refuge with Allah and so Allah gave him refuge; the second one felt shy and so Allah showed kindness to him due to his shyness, and the last one turned away, and so Allah turned away from him” (Agreed upon).

Mosques fill the soul with peace and tranquillity, and so it is not permitted to raise voices in them due to any dispute or disagreement. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Beware of the clamour of markets [that is, avoid it in mosques]” (Reported by Muslim). When Umar ibn Al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, heard two men raising their voices in the Prophet’s Mosque, he summoned them and said to them, “If you were inhabitants of al-Madinah, I would punish you. How could you raise your voices in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him?” (Reported by al-Bukhari).

Mosques are places of safety, security, and peace of mind. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Whoever enters our mosques or passes through our markets with arrows with him should hold them and protect their heads lest he should injure any of the Muslims” (Agreed upon). Due to the honour conferred on worshippers in mosques, Islam does not permit disturbing them even by unnecessarily touching them. A man entered the mosque and started stepping over people to reach the front rows while the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, was delivering the khutbah one Friday. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said to him, “Sit down; you have disturbed people” (Reported by Abu-Dawud).

Islam does even permit people to offend fellow worshippers with an odour that they might dislike. As a form of discipline, Islam does not allow people with repulsive odours to enter the mosque. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “Anyone who has eaten garlic or onion should keep away from us [or he said, “should keep away from our mosque”], and should stay in his house” (Agreed upon). Ibn al-Athir, may Allah have mercy on his soul, said, “This should not be taken as an excuse for not observing the prayer in the mosque, for the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, ordered them to stay away from the mosque as a form of punishment.”

Mosques are places where Muslims experience peace of mind, remember the hereafter, strengthen their relationship with Allah, and stay away from worldly concerns. Therefore, buying and selling in them are strongly prohibited. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said, “When you see someone buying or selling inside the mosque, say to him, ‘May Allah make your business unprofitable!” (Reported by at-Tirmidhi).

The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, even prohibited preoccupying people in the mosque with worldly affairs. He said, “Whoever hears a man crying out in the mosque about something he has lost should say to him, ‘May Allah not restore it to you!’ For mosques have not been built for that” (Reported by Muslim).

Since the mosque is a source of happiness and success, whenever the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, returned from a journey, he would first enter the mosque and pray (Reported by al-Bukhari).

The primary religious duty of every servant is to worship Allah sincerely and not to supplicate anyone but Allah alone in mosques or in any other place. Allah, Glorified be He, says: “And the mosques are for Allah (Alone), so invoke not anyone along with Allah.” (Al-Jinn: 18)

Mosques are built to benefit the living, and therefore building tombs in them not only contradicts this objective, but also provides a means of worshipping other than Allah. Acts of disobedience to Allah, such as backbiting, looking at forbidden things, and listening to music through various devices, are reprehensible at all times and in all places. However, they become all the more reprehensible when committed in mosques.

One of the objectives of Shari‘ah behind setting up mosques is to bring Muslims’ hearts together and achieve unity among them. Therefore, it is not permissible to use them as a means of creating discord and disagreement or to show division inside them. Allah, Majesty and Glory be to Him, says: “And as for those who put up a mosque by way of harming and disbelief and to disunite the believers, and as an outpost for those who warred against Allah and His Messenger (Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him) aforetime, they will indeed swear that their intention is nothing but good. …” (At-Taubah: 107)

Buildings that are modelled on mosques, such as shrines, are just as harmful as those mosques mentioned in the verse, and are even worse.

One of the fundamentals of the religion is that no place should be singled out specifically for worship except mosques. The common feature that all mosques share is that they are built for performing acts of worship, though the Sacred Mosque in Makkah has been singled out by the additional act of circumambulation.

Now then, O Muslims!
Mosques are the source of honour for Muslims as well as the symbol of their religion. If anyone maintains them with prayers and remembrance of Allah, Allah will raise him in rank, bless him with happiness, and fill his heart with delight. Teaching the Book of Allah and the Sunnah in them testifies to one’s compliance with Allah’s command to build them, revives the practice of the prophets and messengers, causes one’s time and deeds to be blessed, and makes one and one’s children better Muslims. Whoever is deprived of doing good in mosques or turns people away from doing so has certainly been deprived of great bounties. I seek refuge in Allah from the accursed Devil: “Say (O Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him): My Lord has commanded justice and (said) that you should face Him only (i.e. worship none but Allah and face the Qiblah, i.e. the Ka‘bah at Makkah during prayers) in every place of worship, in prayers (and not to face other false deities and idols), and invoke Him only making your religion sincere to Him (by not joining in worship any partner with Him and with the intention that you are doing your deeds for Allah’s sake only). As He brought you (into being) in the beginning, so shall you be brought into being [on the Day of Resurrection in two groups, one as a blessed one (believers), and the other as a wretched one (disbelievers)].” (Al-A‘raf: 29)

May Allah bless you and me with the Great Qur’an and make us benefit from its verses and wise words. I have said what you have heard and I ask forgiveness of Allah for myself, for you, and for all Muslims, for any sin that we have committed. Ask Allah for forgiveness. He is the Oft-Forgiving, the Most Merciful.