Making the Masjid an Abode

Hadith Gateway

Making the masjid an abode

Abu Rajab Muhammad Asif Attari Madani

The Companion Abū Hurayra رَضِىَ اللّٰهُ عَـنْهُ reports how the Messenger of Allah  صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said:

مَا تَوَطَّنَ رَجُلٌ مُسْلِمٌ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلصَّلَاةِ وَالذِّكْرِ اِلَّا تَبَشْبَشَ اللَّهُ لَهُ كَمَا يَتَبَشْبَشُ اَهْلُ الْغَائِبِ بِغَائِبِهِمْ اِذَا قَدِمَ عَلَیْھِمْ

When a Muslim makes the masjid an abode for salah and dhikr, Allah becomes happy with him, the way the family of a missing person become happy upon his return.^[1]

Explaining this hadith

1.    Making the masjid an abode

This means to make it necessary upon yourself to attend the masjid. It does not imply you reserve a specific spot for yourself inside, as hadith prohibit from doing so.^[2]

The virtues of making the masjid an abode regarding salah and remembering Allah Almighty therein, not for worldly purposes and pleasures of the nafs.^[3]

How is it to reserve a spot for a lawful requirement?

Mufti Aḥmad Yār Khān رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه writes:

Keeping a spot for yourself in the masjid such that you cannot retain focus in another area is disliked. It is permissible to reserve a spot if lawful requirement exists, just as the mihrab is a place only for the imam, and some masjids have an exclusive spot for the mukabbir behind the imam. They too should perform sunnah and nafl prayers in a different place.

He who sits in an area first is entitled to it. Some sultans of Islam reserved a spot for themselves behind the imam, as their lives were at risk if they prayed elsewhere despite having security arrangements. They are resultantly excluded from this ruling.^[4]

2.   Allah Almighty becoming pleased

Allah Almighty becoming happy with somebody; this means Allah Almighty looking at them mercifully, and granting them blessings, goodness, and esteem.^[5]

2.   Meaning of ‘missing person’

غائب is derived from the word غیب, and the latter refers to that which is hidden from the eyes, irrespective of whether it is in someone’s heart or not.^[6] In this scenario, غائب can mean someone who is missing or someone who is met after a long time.

Summarising this commentary

Allah Almighty becomes pleased with Muslims who frequently stay in the masjid, the way people become happy when they meet their loved ones after a long time (this is purely by way of example with no comparison between Allah Almighty and humans). Afterwards, Allah Almighty grants them blessings and honour.

The importance of a masjid

In Islamic society, masjids have great significance. Hadith deeply explain the virtues of building, maintaining, and loving them, as well as the excellences of attending them to pray, perform iʿtikāf, and carry out other acts of worship.

The Beloved Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم said, “Indeed, some people are the pillars of masjids whilst angels are their associates. Angels seek them if they are absent, visit them if they are ill, and help them if they are in need.”^[7]

A fish in water

Sufis say a believer in the masjid is like a fish in water, and a hypocrite feels like a bird in a cage. For this reason, it is disliked for one to leave the masjid immediately after praying. If Allah Almighty grants one ability, arrive at the masjid early and leave late. When you are not in the masjid, be alert for the sound of the azan, so you may return to it.^[8]

Here are some examples of the love our pious elders had for the masjid.

Listening to azan for forty years

Burd رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه was a slave manumitted by Saʿīd b. Musayyib. The former explained, “For forty years, there was not a time in which azan was given and Saʿīd b. Musayyib was not in the masjid.”^[9]

Is anywhere better than the masjid?

Muhammad b. Munkadir رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه said:

I saw Ziyād b. Abū Ziyād رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه sitting in the masjid and holding his nafs to account. He rebuked it by saying, “Sit down! Where do you want to go and why? Are you going someplace better than the masjid? You see mercy descending upon us, yet you want to leave and look at people’s houses?”^[10]

Sitting in the masjid from ʿaṣr to maghrib

Ḥassān b. ʿAṭiyya رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَـلَيْه would sit in the masjid after ʿaṣr and make dhikr of Allah Almighty until sunset.^[11]

More benefits of attending the masjid

There are many more benefits of visiting the masjid, like being aware of the condition of people in your community, strengthening social ties, and forming new relationships. You learn how to remain clean, and one avoid sins like swearing, lying, and backbiting. These supplementary benefits improve the social aspect of our lives.

The masjid’s splendour during the Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم era

The splendour and liveliness of the masjid during the Prophet’s صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم blessed era were at an apex, as every Muslim attended it. They prayed in congregation, recited the noble Quran, and learnt about Islam. Mujāhidīn and preachers were trained and prepared. The Holy Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم met and hosted delegations who came to visit him, and the Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُم spent time with the Greatest and Final Prophet صَلَّى الـلّٰـهُ عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم to learn from him.

How did we lose this?

During the time of the Companions رَضِیَ الـلّٰـهُ عَنْهُم, every Muslim offered salah. This was a golden era. An overwhelming number from the generation that succeeded them (tābiʿīn) also prayed, but it was not like the previous era. The generation after them was also a beautifully pleasant one. These three eras are known as قُرُوْنِ ثَلَاثَہ – in them, masjids were populated and sinners were few. The generations that followed had an increased number of sinners and a large demographic who did not pray, and this trend is continuing today.^[12]

A survey conducted in 2021 says there are approximately 3.6 million masjids in the world (according to TRT World), and over 2 billion Muslims in the world (via worldpopulationreview). Yet, there are very few Muslims who pray in congregation, despite modern amenities like air conditioning, heaters, wudu areas etc, which were unimaginable in the past.

Where do we stand?

We must reflect upon whether we are amongst those who attend the masjid or not. If, Allah forbid, we do not pray in congregation and fail to perform other worship consistently, then we must combat our laziness and heedlessness. We must make a change today. We must also encourage our family members and neighbours to do the same, as masjids are for us. If we do not spend time in and utilise them, who will?

The Amir of Ahl al-Sunnah, Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attar al-Qadiri دَامَـتْ بَـرَكَـاتُـهُـمُ الْـعَـالِـيَـهْ explains an event:

اَلْـحَمْـدُ لـِلّٰـه I had a habit of encouraging people to pray, even before Dawat-e-Islami was created. I spoke with one Islamic brother and said I will wake him up for fajr or send somebody to do so. When we arrived at his house, he was already awake waiting for us on the balcony.

This event teaches us that if we go out of our way to wake someone up, he will naturally remain restless, as he does not want to be asleep when we arrive. This makes him awaken and get ready before our arrival.^[13]

Dear readers! To offer salah consistently, learn about the Sunnah, and find out how to perform acts of worship correctly, kindly affiliate yourselves with the Islamic environment of Dawat-e-Islami. The latter has started a movement to keep masjids populated, which allows for religious events like gatherings, Madani Muzakaras, iʿtikāf, learning Islamic law, courses, Madani Qafilas, and more.