Non Muslimz in Mosques

[ummAbdillah]

asalamu alaykum wr wb

can non muslims enter mosques??? :?

jazakallah

[- Qatada -]

i'll need to find a fatwa for this.. but insha Allaah its permissible in all masjids except masjid al haram (in makkah.)

the reason for this is in the tafsir below:


Idolators are no longer allowed into Al-Masjid Al-Haram

Allah commands His believing servants, who are pure in religion and person, to expel the idolators who are filthy in the religious sense, from Al-Masjid Al-Haram. After the revelation of this Ayah, idolators were no longer allowed to go near the Masjid. This Ayah was revealed in the ninth year of Hijrah. The Messenger of Allah sent `Ali in the company of Abu Bakr that year to publicize to the idolators that no Mushrik will be allowed to perform Hajj after that year, nor a naked person allowed to perform Tawaf around the House. Allah completed this decree, made it a legislative ruling, as well as, a fact of reality. `Abdur-Razzaq recorded that Jabir bin `Abdullah commented on the Ayah,

[إِنَّمَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ فَلاَ يَقْرَبُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَـذَا]

(O you who believe! Verily, the Mushrikin are impure. So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram after this year) "Unless it was a servant or one of the people of Dhimmah.'' Imam Abu `Amr Al-Awza'i said, "Umar bin `Abdul-`Aziz wrote (to his governors) to prevent Jews and Christians from entering the Masjids of Muslims, and he followed his order with Allah's statement,

[إِنَّمَا الْمُشْرِكُونَ نَجَسٌ]

(Verily, the Mushrikin are impure.) `Ata' said, "All of the Sacred Area [the Haram] is considered a Masjid, for Allah said,

[فَلاَ يَقْرَبُواْ الْمَسْجِدَ الْحَرَامَ بَعْدَ عَامِهِمْ هَـذَا]

(So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this year.)'' This Ayah indicates that idolators are impure and that the believers are pure. In the Sahih is the following,

«الْمُؤْمِنُ لَا يَنْجُس»

(The believer does not become impure.) Allah said,

[وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ]

(and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you, out of His bounty.) Muhammad bin Ishaq commented, "The people said, `Our markets will be closed, our commerce disrupted, and what we earned will vanish.' So Allah revealed this verse,

[وَإِنْ خِفْتُمْ عَيْلَةً فَسَوْفَ يُغْنِيكُمُ اللَّهُ مِن فَضْلِهِ]

(and if you fear poverty, Allah will enrich you, out of His bounty), from other resources,

[إِن شَآءَ]

(if He wills), until,

[وَهُمْ صَـغِرُونَ]

(. ..and feel themselves subdued.) This Ayah means, `this will be your compensation for the closed markets that you feared would result.' Therefore, Allah compensated them for the losses they incurred because they severed ties with idolators, by the Jizyah they earned from the People of the Book.'' Similar statements were reported from Ibn `Abbas, Mujahid, `Ikrimah, Sa`id bin Jubayr, Qatadah and Ad-Dahhak and others. Allah said,

[إِنَّ اللَّهَ عَلِيمٌ]

(Surely, Allah is All-Knowing), in what benefits you,

[حَكِيمٌ]

(All-Wise), in His orders and prohibitions, for He is All-Perfect in His actions and statements, All-Just in His creations and decisions, Blessed and Hallowed be He. This is why Allah compensated Muslims for their losses by the amount of Jizyah that they took from the people of Dhimmah.


Allaah u a'lam.

source: http://www.tafsir.com/default.asp?sid=9&tid=20958


wasalam o 'alykum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh.

[Ibn Abi Ahmed]

:sl:

Thread Moved.

:w:

[*charisma*]

Assalamu Alaikum

great post akhi

erm.. well while i was in jerusalem, at masjid al aqsa, there were israeli jews that wud randomly go in there, but they wud take their shoes off for respect i guess.. and there were some tourists i think they got to go inside, although im not sure if they did or not...but im guessing that maybe nonmuslims can if they want to see how ppl pray u know if they like want to convert or something.

fi aman Allah
w'salaam

Hey there! Looks like you're enjoying the discussion, but you're not signed up for an account.

When you create an account, you can participate in the discussions and share your thoughts. You also get notifications, here and via email, whenever new posts are made. And you can like posts and make new friends.
Sign Up

[Muezzin]

asalamu alaykum wr wb

can non muslims enter mosques??? :?

jazakallah

I've seen plenty of non-muslims in mosques. My friend even saw a non-muslim guy at jumah in our uni once, which was really kind of pointless from the non-muslim's point of view, but sort of amusing for us.

[- Qatada -]

ok this might be a more direct response insha Allaah:

Question of Fatwa

Dear scholars, As-Salamu `alaykum. What is the Islamic ruling if non-Muslims enter mosques to do restoration, to deliver speeches, or to learn more about Islam? Jazakum Allah Khayran.



Wa`alykum As-Salaamu Warahmatullahi Wabarakaatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Brother, may Allah reward you abundantly for your interest in knowing the teachings of your religion, Islam! Thanks for the question you posed, it’s very interesting and reflects your care about the Muslim community.

It is noteworthy that Islam encourages tolerance and peaceful co-existence between Muslims and non-Muslims. If non-Muslims enter a mosque to deliver speeches that may lead to a better understanding, then it is welcomed and religiously recommended. Islam is the religion of constructive dialogue in the fullest sense. The history of Muslims is a very good example of this.

Sheikh `Atiyyah Saqr, former head of Al-Azhar Fatwa Committee, points out the opinions of Muslim jurists on the issue as follows:

“Allah Almighty says, “O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise.” (At-Tawbah: 28)

And He says, “O ye who believe! Draw not near unto prayer when ye are drunken, till ye know that which ye utter, nor when ye are polluted, save when journeying upon the road, till ye have bathed.” (An-Nisa’: 43)

Relying on these verses, the majority of Muslim Jurists, including those from the Maliki, Shafi`i and other schools of fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence), maintain that the polytheists are not allowed to enter the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. However, they state that there is nothing wrong if Christians and Jews enter it. They state that this ruling applies to the Holy Mosque in Makkah as well as its precincts. Abu Hanifah, however, views that even a polytheist can enter the Holy Mosque in Makkah as long as he will not stay or reside there. He interpreted impurity to mean spiritual impurity (shirk).

As for other mosques than the Holy Mosque in Makkah, the Madinan jurists forbade non-Muslims from entering them because non-Muslims are regarded by the Qur’an as impure. Imam Ahmad is reported to have said that they can only enter these mosques with the permission of Muslims. This is supported by the report that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) permitted the people of At-Ta’if to stay in the mosque prior to their embracing Islam. He also received the Christians of Najran in his mosque in Madinah. When the time of their prayer was due, they prayed in the mosque towards the eastern direction. Thereupon the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said (to his Companions), “Leave them (to perform prayer).”

Under the title ‘A Polytheist Entering the Mosque’, Al-Bukhari, in his Sahih mentioned that Thamamah ibn Athal (despite that he was a polytheist) was tied up in the mosque.

In Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar mentioned that there are different opinions concerning this issue. The Hanafi jurists gave unconditional permission while the Maliki scholars and al-Mazni are reported to have forbidden it absolutely. The Shafi`i scholars differentiated between the Holy Mosque and other mosques. There is an opinion that the permission is restricted to the People of the Book but this is refuted by the case of Thamamah mentioned above.”

Sheikh M. S. Al-Munajjid, a prominent Saudi Islamic lecturer and author, states:

“It is forbidden for Muslims to allow any non-Muslim to enter Al-Masjid Al-Haram in Makkah and its sacred precincts, because Allah says: “O ye who believe! The idolaters only are unclean. So let them not come near Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah) after this their year. If ye fear poverty (from the loss of their merchandise) Allah shall preserve you of His bounty if He will. Lo! Allah is Knower, Wise.” (At-Tawbah: 28)

Concerning other mosques, some Muslim jurists maintain that it is permissible for non-Muslims to enter them because there is nothing to indicate the unlawfulness of such act; others say that it is not permissible, by analogy to the case of Al-Masjid Al-Haram.

The correct view is that it is permissible if it serves the interests of Shari`ah or meets a valid need, such as if a non-Muslim needs to enter a mosque to hear something that may encourage him to embrace Islam, or because he needs to drink water, or the like. This is pursuant to the way of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) on this issue; he tied up (his prisoner) Thamaamah ibn Athal Al-Hanafi in the mosque before he became a Muslim, and the delegations of Thaqif and the Christians of Najran stayed in the mosque before they embraced Islam. Actually, many benefits were accrued from this: they were able to hear the speeches and sermons of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to see people praying and reciting the Qur’an, etc. (Fatawa Al-Lajnah Al-Da'imah - The Standing Committee for Islamic Research and Ifta’)

Therefore, if non-Muslims seek permission to enter the mosque in order to see how Muslims perform prayer, there is nothing wrong in that, as long as they have nothing with them that could defile the mosque, and their women are not dressed in a provocative fashion, or any other reason that bars them from entering the mosque. So they can enter and sit behind the Muslims to see how they pray.”

Based on the above Fatwas, we can say that non-Muslims, including Christians and Jews, are allowed to enter mosques, but they should abide by the following conditions:

1- Non-Muslims are allowed to enter mosques – other than the Sacred Mosque in Makkah – with a prior permission of Muslims.

2- They must have a sound reason for entering the mosque.

3- They should respect the decorum of the mosque and keep in mind that it is a sacred place of worship.

4- Both men and women are not allowed to uncover their `Awarah (parts of the body which should not be exposed in front of others) when entering the mosque.

With regard to the issue of restoration, we can say that Muslims should have the priority in carrying out such work, unless it is necessary to seek the help of non-Muslims. There must be a need to seek their help, especially in issues related to mosques.

Allah Almighty knows best.


source: http://www.islamonline.net/servlet/S...=1119503543870


wasalam o 'alykum warahmatulahi wabarakatuh.

[yoshiyahu]

I've seen plenty of non-muslims in mosques. My friend even saw a non-muslim guy at jumah in our uni once, which was really kind of pointless from the non-muslim's point of view, but sort of amusing for us.

what is jumah?

[- Qatada -]

what is jumah?

hey! jumm'ah is the friday congregational prayer for the muslims, its performed in the masjid (mosque.)


peace.

[almuslima]

:sl:
dats a gud quetion...inshalla i'll ask otha people about it... n i just wanned 2 know if we as a muslim r aloud 2 enter a church, just 2 look around...cuz der alot of pple in ma skool go 2 church der teacha's take dem....

[Halima]

:sl: It is fine if muslims enter a church just like how we want to give the same respect for a non-muslim coming into the mosque. However, there are some circumstances. If a muslim were to enter a church they cannot join any clubs or be involved with any holy event that is taking place inside of the church. This is strictly prohibited. Nevertheless church is mainly for christians or catholics that are attending a service for whatever reason so I strongly advice muslims not to go to church at all unless it's a dire emergency.:w:

[Muezzin]

:sl: It is fine if muslims enter a church just like how we want to give the same respect for a non-muslim coming into the mosque. However, there are some circumstances. If a muslim were to enter a church they cannot join any clubs or be involved with any holy event that is taking place inside of the church. This is strictly prohibited. Nevertheless church is mainly for christians or catholics that are attending a service for whatever reason so I strongly advice muslims not to go to church at all unless it's a dire emergency.:w:

I.e. a school trip.

:p

Just to clarify, I have nothing against christians or churches. They're cool people and buildings, respectively.

[muha0154]

Assalaamu Alaykum.

I remember watching a video of Sheikh Ahmad Deedat in which he is making da'wah to a non-Muslim audience in a Masjid. I don't remember the name of the video, but I do remember it was very good, and, as is typical in all of Sh. Deedat's videos, quite entertaining. Salaam.

Muhammad

[Rabi'ya]

:sl:

The local masjid held a sort of "open day" inviting non-muslims specifically to learn abuot the misconceptions of Islam

:w:

Rabi'ya:rose:

[Bittersteel]

some Christians came to visit Muhammad(PBUH) in a Masjid.Nothing wrong with it.

Crazy Uncle Who Didn't Know It Was Open House Day

Imagine just some random mosque goer who happened to forget it was the mosque’s open house day? He’d be in shock to see non-Muslims all over the place. He’d think they were invading or something.

Like you can imagine this crazy uncle stepping fresh off the wudu area, drenched in water and still comprehending the fact that the parking lot was full outside when normally there is two cars for Zuhr. Well seeing the prayer area filled with Non-Muslim women won’t really whet his appetite. That is, non-Muslim women who might be wearing a hijab out of respect for the Muslims there but still be wearing tanktops and miniskirts. Hey it’s the thought that counts but the crazy uncle sees otherwise.

“THIS IS THE HOUSE OF ALLAH” shouts the crazy uncle.
“It sure is. Hi… I’m Susan” replies one of the female patrons as she sticks out her hand.
“ASTAGFIRULLAH”

Then the crazy uncle will run off to the basement to see if he actually is inside the right building. Lo and behold a wonderful community-like speech is occurring.

Aggressive Tour Guide

When it was time to organize small groups of tours, chaos broke loose. It’s natural for the non-Muslim visitors to be inquisitive and ask questions. It’s NOT natural for the tour guides to treat it like some fanatical debate.

“Hi there…my name is Susan. I was just curious as to why women pray in the back?”
“WHAT? DO YOU THINK WE SHOULD PRAY SIDE BY SIDE LIKE SOME SUPERMARKET?”
“No it’s just that-”
“PROVE TO ME THAT JESUS IS THE SON OF GOD. PROVE IT NOW. NOWHERE IN THE BIBLE DOES IT SAY THE TRINITY EXISTS.”
“Actually I’m Jewish and-”
“ISRAELI THIEVES. FREE PALESTINE”
“I’m actually against the occupa-”
“THIS TOUR IS OVER”

From Open House At The Mosque

[Rabi'ya]

That really is crazy....and just goes to prove that before speaking we should listen to the other person.

susan, seems like a cool person...at least she was respectful. I dont like that uncles attitude.

:w:

Rabi'ya:rose:

[MetSudaisTwice]

salam
true and you should never judge a book by its cover
non-muslim may come into a mosque and develop thier knowledge in islam and may accept islam as thier religion
wasalam

[~Raindrop~]

:sl: i think non muslims can enter mosques because at the time of the Prophet (Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) some christian priests came to him and stayed in the mosque also performing their prayers in the mosque. Allah knows best.:w:

[yoshiyahu]

Is the jumm'ah derived from the Qu'ran? If so, which sections? If not, do you know somewhere where I could read this prayer?

hey! jumm'ah is the friday congregational prayer for the muslims, its performed in the masjid (mosque.)


peace.

[Ansar Al-'Adl]

Is the jumm'ah derived from the Qu'ran? If so, which sections? If not, do you know somewhere where I could read this prayer?

Hi Yoshiyahu :) ,
If you mean the command behind the Jumm'ah prayer, then it is mentioned in this verse:
62:9-11. O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for the Salât (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allâh and leave off business (and every other thing), that is better for you if you did but know!
Then when the (Jumu'ah) Salât (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allâh (by working, etc.), and remember Allâh much, that you may be successful.
And when they see some merchandise or some amusement they disperse headlong to it, and leave you (Muhammad ) standing [while delivering Jumu'ah's religious talk (Khutbah)]. Say "That which Allâh has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allâh is the Best of providers."

However, I get the impression from your post that you thought the Jummu'ah to be a 'prayer' in the same sense as a selection of verses which are to be read out. If so, then this is not what Jummu'ah is. The format of Salaatul Jummu'ah (the Friday Prayer) consists of a sermon delivered by a Khateeb (someone who gives sermons) followed by 2-units of the standard Muslim prayer (salaah) in congregation.

I hope this clarifies.
Regards

[yoshiyahu]

Thanks Ansar.

Hi Yoshiyahu :) ,
If you mean the command behind the Jumm'ah prayer, then it is mentioned in this verse:
62:9-11. O you who believe! When the call is proclaimed for the Salât (prayer) on the day of Friday (Jumu'ah prayer), come to the remembrance of Allâh and leave off business (and every other thing), that is better for you if you did but know!
Then when the (Jumu'ah) Salât (prayer) is finished, you may disperse through the land, and seek the Bounty of Allâh (by working, etc.), and remember Allâh much, that you may be successful.
And when they see some merchandise or some amusement they disperse headlong to it, and leave you (Muhammad ) standing [while delivering Jumu'ah's religious talk (Khutbah)]. Say "That which Allâh has is better than any amusement or merchandise! And Allâh is the Best of providers."

However, I get the impression from your post that you thought the Jummu'ah to be a 'prayer' in the same sense as a selection of verses which are to be read out. If so, then this is not what Jummu'ah is. The format of Salaatul Jummu'ah (the Friday Prayer) consists of a sermon delivered by a Khateeb (someone who gives sermons) followed by 2-units of the standard Muslim prayer (salaah) in congregation.

I hope this clarifies.
Regards

[Ghazi]

Salaam

If we get get no-muslims in mosques then thats a good step in the right direction

[sapphire]

People come to our mosque to view it (non-muslims) as part of their religious studies lesson.....and inshallah when they view it they may see the beauty of Islam and may come to the straight path inshallah!!!