Stranger in this Dunya

Tag: When in the masjid

October 8, 2008 · 14 Comments

Ammena came up with this tag and is asking about the mosque or prayer area and is asking for 3 hadith to be posted on this subject. 

She says,

Having spent a considerable amount of time at the masjid this month, masha’allah, reciting with my sisters and praying with my community I have realised a few things about people and how they pray [...] I got thinking yesterday, yes my mind does tend to wander!! about a blog post.. ‘if I could post ahadith around this masjid, what would they be?’ .. just 3… and im going to make it into a tag post [...] 

Sooooo, here goes…

The immediate things that I notice when I go to any masjid or prayer room (musalla) in this country are shoes. Yes shoes! Shoe racks or shelves are always provided, I have never been to a masjid where they are not provided yet there is always a pile of shoes in the immediate entrance into the praying room for everyone to trip over. It’s an even bigger problem for mothers who wish to take the stroller with baby in, into the prayer room (I am referring to prayer rooms that have a corridor along the side where the stroller can sit and not dirty the carpets). Why can people not remove their shoes and place them on the shelf? I’m sure it would be far easier to find their shoes after prayer if they did this as the shoes get kicked around by people trying to step over them or wade through them. So, this reminds me of the hadith of ‘removing the harm’ from the public right of way: 

It is narrated on the authority of Abu Huraira that the Messenger of Allah (may peace and blessings be upon him) said: Faith has over seventy branches or over sixty branches, the most excellent of which is the declaration that there is no god but Allah, and the humblest of which is the, removal of what is injurious from the path: and modesty is the branch of faith.

&

In Muslim, it is reported on the authority of  `Aishah  (May Allah be pleased with her) that Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Everyone of the children of Adam has been created with three hundred and sixty joints; so he who declares the Glory of Allah, praises Allah, declares Allah to be One, glorifies Allah, and seeks forgiveness from Allah, and removes stone, or thorn, or bone from people’s path, and enjoins good and forbids evil, to the number of those three hundred and sixty, will walk that day having rescued himself from Hell”.

The next thing I have noticed after my Jumu’ah prayer experience last week is the lateness of those coming to pray Jumu’ah prayer. As you know, I arrived at the mosque and found the ladies entrance locked so I had to resort to sitting outside the mosque for the duration of the prayer and khutbah whilst I waited for my husband. In that half hour I observed the men coming for prayer. We arrived just as the imam was arriving so it was only minutes before he began his khutbah and the carpark, even at that time, was almost empty. As I sat on the step to the ladies entrance I saw the carpark slowly filling and men walking from nearby villas, 5 minutes walk away. Many men were arriving towards the end of the khutbah and there seemed to be a rush as the iqama for the actual salah was called. Do they not know about the reward for arriving early in the mosque on a Friday? Please read:

Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 13, Number 51:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Prophet said, “When it is a Friday, the angels stand at the gate of the mosque and keep on writing the names of the persons coming to the mosque in succession according to their arrivals. The example of the one who enters the mosque in the earliest hour is that of one offering a camel (in sacrifice). The one coming next is like one offering a cow and then a ram and then a chicken and then an egg respectively. When the Imam comes out (for Jumua prayer) they (i.e. angels) fold their papers and listen to the Khutba.”

Lastly, I was at the Eid prayer just over a week ago and had the pleasure of praying in congregation and then sitting for the khutbah and joining in the du’a that the imam made in the second part of his khutbah. I was most disappointed to hear the two ladies next to me talking virtually non-stop throughout the khutbah and even the du’a and there were many other ladies in the room also chatting instead listening and benefitting not only from the words of the imam but from the reward of listening:

Bukhari, Volume 2, Book 13, Number 56:

Narrated Abu Huraira: Allah’s Apostle (p.b.u.h) said,

“When the Imam is delivering the Khutba, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done an evil act.”

I tag, in no particular order: OmLujain, Umalmujahid, UmmK, Redwan,  Nabbu,  UmmHibaat (again… just to heap the pressure on a bit more ;)UmmAdam and Brandy.

Rules as follows:

  • Link back to the person who tagged you.
  • List 3 hadith you’d like to pin up in your masjid and why.
  • Tag some of your fellow bloggers by linking to them in your post and don’t forget to post a comment on their blog to let them know they’ve been tagged.

Categories: Hadith · Islam · Tagged
Tagged: , , , , ,

14 responses so far ↓

  • Om Lujain // October 8, 2008 at 6:15 pm

    Love the post… and everything u have said is absolutely true.. Shoes are just annoying…. talking during the Khutba is also quite annoying when you are actually trying to listen… and coming the very last minute to just take part in the actualy Jum3a salaat is also rather annoying…. (can u see I love the word ANNOYING @ the moment.. lol)

    Something I hate when I go for Eid Salaat, is how fast people get up and leave as soon as the prayer is over… they can’t even sit still and listen to the Khutba…

    Lovely post!

  • ammena // October 8, 2008 at 9:45 pm

    masha’allah.. well worth the wait :D just a question
    “When the Imam is delivering the Khutba, and you ask your companion to keep quiet and listen, then no doubt you have done an evil act.”
    so… you as in the person asking or you as in the person talking? Cause it reads to me like the person asking…

  • Umm Ibrahim // October 8, 2008 at 10:46 pm

    Assalaamu alaikum,

    Om Lujain: Welcome. :) Yes, annoying, annoying, annoying! This post could’ve been far longer than just 3 points I assure you. Sabr is another one that is, yes, annoying! People pushing their way out of the prayer when they have prayed rather than slowly following the flow out.

    Ammena: Did you notice I forgot to tag anyone? :lol: Will have to go back and edit! That’s how the hadith reads to me… I see it as meaning that even speaking to tell your companion to be quiet is an evil act so how much worse can full on chatting throughout be?

  • princessines // October 8, 2008 at 11:49 pm

    Mashallah lovely post. You have just reminded that I need to get on with my post cause she tagged me too :lol:

  • Farhana // October 9, 2008 at 2:10 am

    As-salaamu’alaykum wa Rahmatu Llahi wa Barakatuhu my dearest sister,

    WOW.. you did an awesome job! Jazaki’Allahu khair for all the reminders, I pray they will benefit lots of others.

    I’d like to add one more hadith I recently read, which applies to what you said:
    Abu Hurairah (radiAllahu anhu) reported:
    I heard the Messenger of Allah (salAllahu alayhi wa-salaam) saying, “When the Iqamah are pronounced, do not come to it running, you should walk calmly with tranquillity to join the congregation. Then join in what you catch for and complete what you miss.” [Muslim]

    Wa’alaykum as-salaam
    Love Farhana

  • Nabbu // October 9, 2008 at 7:44 am

    Jazaak Allah Khairun for tagging me. :) Alhamdulilah I’ve just finished posting. Unfortunately I don’t really know anyone else I could tag so didn’t include that in my post.

  • misspecs // October 9, 2008 at 1:29 pm

    Great post!

    @ shoes, OMG, they are such a nightmare! Especially when you get one shoe bigger and one just one size smaller and realize, oh oh, someone out there mistakenly wore one of MY shoes!

  • Muha // October 9, 2008 at 5:36 pm

    MashaAllah, a great post.

    And wow, my first tag. This is fun. ;D Hope I can live up to the expectations now hehehe… We will see what I can come up with here…

  • Redwan Ahmed // October 9, 2008 at 8:16 pm

    do you want me to write on your website or tag me

  • Umm Ibrahim // October 10, 2008 at 12:19 am

    Assalaamu alaikum,

    Ines: Look forward to reading yours soon also. :)

    Farhana: Good hadith but people wouldn’t feel the need to run to prayer if they left the house earlier – this is regular occurrence!

    Nabbu: Enjoyed reading your post; you were quick masha’Allah!

    Misspecs: lol, what a nightmare!

    Muha: Look forward to reading yours soon too. :)

    Redwan: It’s a tag, so on your blog insha’Allah. I edited at the end of my post to explain tag rules further. :)

  • Being Tagged! “When in the masjid” « Al Ahzab 35 // October 10, 2008 at 1:52 pm

    [...] I’ve been tagged by Umm Ibrahim … she did [...]

  • anjum // October 11, 2008 at 1:32 am

    Nice post.. You really bring out the reality out .. You blog is a must visit for me as i can read more on deen , duniya, current happennings, recepies.. and what not. You rock.. Keep up the good work.. .

  • anjum // October 11, 2008 at 4:05 am

    Salaam.. Was just going through ur posts on Riyadh.Got to know a few move places to visit after reading ur posts. .. I too stay in Riyadh, and i feel its much better than Dammam and Jeddah.

  • American Muslima Writer // October 11, 2008 at 7:10 pm

    About your first thing withthe hadith about the shoes, as a mommy with stroller it is horrid to walk over everyone’s shoes, sometimes I carry a baby carrier with a 10 kilo baby and to stumble over these shoes owuld bring certain death I’m sure…. but as to your hadith it would imply then as good muslimah we would like to be that in fact not only should they not be lazy and leave their shoes aorund but we should try to shelf their shoes to remove harm for others….now that would be a message to them if every friday they kicked off their shoes and had to look embarrassed as they looked for their shoes on the proper racks…… hmmm food to think on eh ladies?

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