What is the ruling on discussions pertaining to worldly affairs in the mosque?
حكم الكلام في أمور الدنيا داخل المسجد
Question
What is the ruling on discussions pertaining to worldly affairs in the mosque?
حكم الكلام في أمور الدنيا داخل المسجد
Answer
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.
As to what follows:
With regard to this issue, the scholars differed into many opinions:
First: talking inside the mosque about worldly issues that do not amount to sin is permissible, this is the view held by the Shafi and Dhahiriyyah schools of thought.
Second: talking inside the mosque about worldly issues that do not amount to sin is detestable, this is the view held by the Maliki and Hanbali schools of thought.
Three: talking inside the mosque about worldly issues that do not amount to sin is prohibited, this is the view held by the Hanafi school of thought. Others said it is only prohibited if the intention of the talk was meant for discussing worldly affairs but if the talk is accidental then it is detested.
The scholarly difference is limited to that talk which does not result in harming or disturbing reciters, muswallis or worshipers inside the mosque, beyond this there is no difference in opinion regarding its prohibition. This is because The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) forbade raising of voice when reciting the Quran if it results in harming others as witnessed by the hadith reported by Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who said The Prophet (peace be on him) said:
“One should not raise the voice in recitation or in prayer over the voice of the other” [Ahamd (5326)]
This hadith was narrated by Ahmad (18543) and Malik (178) on the authority of al-Bayadhi Farwa Ibn Amr. Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar and Al-Iraqi said that: This prohibition is mentioned in many authentic narrations.
What is apparent to me from the two opinions is the permissibility of discussing worldly affairs in the mosque if they are accidental and not intentional. This is according to a hadith narrated by Muslim (670) on the authority of Jabir Ibn Sumra who said:
“He (the Holy Prophet) used to sit at the place where he observed the morning or dawn prayer till the sun rose or when it had risen; he would stand, and they (his Companions) would talk about matters (pertaining to the days) of ignorance, and they would laugh (on these matters) while (the Holy Prophet) only smiled.”
There are hadiths mentioned which forbid taking mosques as places for discussing worldly affairs such as the hadith narrated bt al-Tabrani in Mu’jam (10452) on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that The Prophet (peace be on him) said:
“They shall come a time whereby people will be sitting in halqas (circles) inside the mosques, discussing worldly matters, do not sit with them for verily you are not in need of them”
This is a weak hadith. It was said in Ilal al-Mutanahiya (1/410): this is a weak hadith which was not said by The Prophet (peace be on him) but rather accused of saying it by Zay’
Dar al-Qutni said: there is no other person who reported this hadith except Zay’ and his narrations are disregared.
Ibn Hiban said: He (Zay’) attributes fabricated things on reliable narrators.
Ibn Uday said: His (Zay’s) narrations are denounced and cannot be paid attention to.
And Zay’ is Abu Khalil al-Khuswaf who narrated from Shaqiq Ibn Salma from Ibn Mas’ud.
Your brother,
Dr. Khalid al-Muslih
06 /0 1 / 1425 AH
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions.
As to what follows:
With regard to this issue, the scholars differed into many opinions:
First: talking inside the mosque about worldly issues that do not amount to sin is permissible, this is the view held by the Shafi and Dhahiriyyah schools of thought.
Second: talking inside the mosque about worldly issues that do not amount to sin is detestable, this is the view held by the Maliki and Hanbali schools of thought.
Three: talking inside the mosque about worldly issues that do not amount to sin is prohibited, this is the view held by the Hanafi school of thought. Others said it is only prohibited if the intention of the talk was meant for discussing worldly affairs but if the talk is accidental then it is detested.
The scholarly difference is limited to that talk which does not result in harming or disturbing reciters, muswallis or worshipers inside the mosque, beyond this there is no difference in opinion regarding its prohibition. This is because The Messenger of Allah (peace be on him) forbade raising of voice when reciting the Quran if it results in harming others as witnessed by the hadith reported by Abdullah Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) who said The Prophet (peace be on him) said:
“One should not raise the voice in recitation or in prayer over the voice of the other” [Ahamd (5326)]
This hadith was narrated by Ahmad (18543) and Malik (178) on the authority of al-Bayadhi Farwa Ibn Amr. Al-Hafidh Ibn Hajar and Al-Iraqi said that: This prohibition is mentioned in many authentic narrations.
What is apparent to me from the two opinions is the permissibility of discussing worldly affairs in the mosque if they are accidental and not intentional. This is according to a hadith narrated by Muslim (670) on the authority of Jabir Ibn Sumra who said:
“He (the Holy Prophet) used to sit at the place where he observed the morning or dawn prayer till the sun rose or when it had risen; he would stand, and they (his Companions) would talk about matters (pertaining to the days) of ignorance, and they would laugh (on these matters) while (the Holy Prophet) only smiled.”
There are hadiths mentioned which forbid taking mosques as places for discussing worldly affairs such as the hadith narrated bt al-Tabrani in Mu’jam (10452) on the authority of Abdullah Ibn Mas’ud (may Allah be pleased with him) who said that The Prophet (peace be on him) said:
“They shall come a time whereby people will be sitting in halqas (circles) inside the mosques, discussing worldly matters, do not sit with them for verily you are not in need of them”
This is a weak hadith. It was said in Ilal al-Mutanahiya (1/410): this is a weak hadith which was not said by The Prophet (peace be on him) but rather accused of saying it by Zay’
Dar al-Qutni said: there is no other person who reported this hadith except Zay’ and his narrations are disregared.
Ibn Hiban said: He (Zay’) attributes fabricated things on reliable narrators.
Ibn Uday said: His (Zay’s) narrations are denounced and cannot be paid attention to.
And Zay’ is Abu Khalil al-Khuswaf who narrated from Shaqiq Ibn Salma from Ibn Mas’ud.
Your brother,
Dr. Khalid al-Muslih
06 /0 1 / 1425 AH