The Fifth Issue:
Does the deviance of the employed
Imām
of a
Masjid
have an affect on the
Masjid
and change it to a
Masjid Dhirār?
The Answer:
The
Masjid
is not affected by the deviance of its
Imām
away from the truth and what is correct. And that does not
change it to a
Masjid Dhirār,
just like it is not affected if people from the People of
Desires and
Bid’ah
frequent it, as its description and its ruling which it was
established upon from its first day remain for it.
So just as the
Masjid Adh-Dhirār,
even if a pious one prays in it, and he is the employed
Imām
for the people in it, it does not remove off of it the
description of
Dharār
and its ruling, likewise, the
Masjid
that is established upon piety, if a deviant
Mubtadi’
prays in it as an employed
Imām
for the people, it does not raise off of it its description and
its ruling as (being) a House from the Houses of Allāh, for
which there should be glorification.
But the deviance of the
Imām
is upon two types:
A type in which he would be a
kāfir,
and that is when he falls into clear
kufr
without any considered
Shar’ī
preventative factor. Then at that time, it is obligatory to
abandon the
Salāt
behind him, without abandoning the
Salāt
in the
Masjid.
So the
Salāt
behind him is not allowed and it is not valid, while his (i.e.
the person abandoning the
Salāt
behind this
Imām)
Salāt
in the
Masjid
is allowed and is valid.
And a type (of deviance) in which he would be a
Mubtadi’
(and a)
Fāsiq
which his deviance does not elevate him to the level of clear
kufr.
So in the likes of this condition,
Salāt
is allowed in the
Masjid
and behind this deviant
Mubtadi’ Imām.
And especially if missing of the
Salāt
with the
Jamā’ah
is feared, then at that time,
Salāt
behind him is specified upon him, and his deviance does not
prevent that.
Ibn Hazm said in “Al-Muhallā”,
Vol. 3/129, “From ‘Ubaydillāh Ibn ‘Adī Ibn Al- Khayyār, that he
entered upon ‘Uthmān, may Allāh be pleased with him, while he
was confined, then he said to him, ‘Verily, you are the general
Imām,
and that which we see has befallen you, and an
Imām
of
Fitnah
is leading us in prayer, and we are uncomfortable.’ So ‘Uthmān
said to him, ‘Verily, the
Salāt
is the best of what people perform, so if the people do good,
then do good with them, and if they do bad, then avoid their
evil.’
And Ibn ‘Umar used to pray behind Al-Hajjāj and Najdah; One of
the two was a
Khārijī,
and the second is the most evil of mankind.
And Ibn ‘Umar used to say, ‘The
Salāt
is a good deed, I do not care who shares with me in it.’
And from Ibn Jurayj, ‘I said to ‘Atā’, ‘Do you see an
Imām
who delays the
Salāt,
to the point that he prays it being negligent in it?’ He said,
‘I will pray with the
Jamā’ah,
(as) it is more beloved to me.’ I said, ‘Even if the sun has
become yellow and joined with the heads of the mountains?’ He
said, ‘Yes, as long as it has not disappeared.’ I said to ‘Atā’,
‘But if the
Imām
does not fulfill the
Salāt,
should I avoid the
Jamā’ah
with him?’ He said, ‘Rather pray with him, and fulfill what you
are able to. The
Jamā’ah
is more beloved to me.’
And from ‘Abdur-Razzāq, from Sufyān Ath-Thawrī, from ‘Uqbah Ibn
Abī Wā’il, that he used to pray the
Jamā’ah
with Al-Mukhtār Al-Kath’thāb.
And from Abī Al-Ash’ath, who said, ‘The
Khawārij
emerged over us, so I asked Yahyā Ibn Abī Kathīr, so I said, ‘O
Abū Nasr, how do you see the
Salāt
behind those ones?’ He said, ‘The
Qur’ān
is your
Imām.
Pray with them as long as they pray it (i.e. pray with the
Qur’ān).’”
And from Ibrāhīm An-Nakh’ī, ‘I said to ‘Alqamah, ‘Our
Imām
does not complete the
Salāt?’
‘Alqamah said, ‘But we complete it.’ Meaning we pray with him
and complete it.
And from Al-Hasan, ‘The
Mu’min
is not harmed by his prayer behind a
Munāfiq,
and the
Munāfiq
is not benefited by his prayer behind a
Mu’min.’
And from Qatādah, ‘I said to Sa’īd Ibn Al-Musayyib, ‘Do we pray
behind Al- Hajjāj?’ He said, ‘Verily, we pray behind he who is
more evil than him.’
‘Alī – in other words, Ibn Hazm – said, ‘We do not know anyone
from the
Sahābah,
may Allāh be pleased with them, who refused to pray behind Al-Mukhtār,
‘Ubaydillāh Ibn Ziyād, and Al-Hajjāj,
and there is no
Fāsiq
who has more
Fisq
than those ones.
And all of this is the opinion of
Abū Hanīfah, Ash- Shāfi’ī and Abū Sulaymān.’”
And Ibn Taymiyyah said in “Al-Fatāwā”,
Vol. 23/343, ‘The
Sahābah
used to pray the
Jumu’ah
and the
Jamā’ah
behind Al-Hajjāj and Al-Mukhtār Ibn Abī ‘Ubayd Ath-Thaqafī, and
others besides them, because losing the
Jumu’ah
and the
Jamā’ah
is greater in corruption than following an evil
Imām
in them both (i.e.
Salāt Al-Jumu’ah
and
Salāt Al-Jamā’ah).
Especially if abandoning them both does not repel his evil, so
what would be left is the abandoning of the
Shar’ī
benefit without repelling that harm. And due to this, those who
abandoned the
Jumu’ah
and the
Jamā’ahs
behind the unjust
Imāms
in totality
were considered according to the
Salaf
and the
Imāms
to be from among the People of
Bid’ah.”
I say: It becomes known from what has passed, the invalidity of
the unjust rulings and generalizations which are passed upon the
Houses of Allāh, by some of those from the young men who rush –
out of ignorance – due only to their knowledge that in them is
an
Imām
who is a
Mubtadi’
or who has some deviances, that they are
Masājid Adh-Dhirār
in which
Salāt
is not allowed. So that leads them to leaving the
Jumu’ahs
and the
Jamā’ahs.
The Sixth Issue:
Is it allowed to pray in a
Masjid
the condition of which is not known, behind an
Imām
whose condition is not known?
Or in another meaning, is it obligatory to investigate the
reality of the
Masjid
before praying in it, whether it was built out of harm or not,
and if the
‘Aqīdah
of its employed
Imām
is correct or not?
The Answer:
It is allowed to pray in a
Masjid,
the condition of which is unknown, behind an
Imām
whose condition is not known. And it is not allowed to
investigate – as a condition for the
Salāt
– the
Masjid,
its objectives and the causes which it was established upon and
for. Just as it is not allowed to investigate the
‘Aqīdah
of the
Imām
and to test him with questions which will show who he is. So
this action is considered from the
Bid’ahs
and burdens which our Righteous
Salaf
did not do nor see as permissible.
Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allāh be merciful to him, said in “Al-Fatāwā”,
Vol. 23/351, ‘It is not from the conditions of following (in the
Salāt)
for the one being lead to know the beliefs of his
Imām,
nor for him to test him, so he says: What do you believe? Rather
he prays behind the one whose condition is hidden. And the
saying of the one who says: ‘I do not surrender my wealth to
someone who I do not know.’ And what he intends is that ‘I do
not pray behind he whom I do not know, just as I would not
surrender my wealth except to he whom I know.’
(These) are ignorant words which no one from the
Imāms
of
Islām
have stated.
Because if a man entrusts his wealth to someone who is not
unknown, then he might betray him in regards to it, and he might
(also) lose it. And as for the
Imām,
then if he makes a mistake or forgets, then the one being lead
is not held responsible for that. As it is in Al-Bukhārī and
others, that the Prophet, (saw), said,
‘Your Imāms pray for you and for them. So if they are correct,
then (it) is for you and for them. And if they make a mistake,
then (it) is for you and upon them.’
So he made the mistake of the
Imām
upon him, and not them.’
And he, may Allāh be merciful to him, said, Vol. 4/542, ‘And it
is allowed to pray behind every Muslim whose condition is
hidden,
according to the agreement of the four
Imāms
and the rest of the
Imāms
of the Muslims. So whoever says: ‘I do not pray a
Jumu’ah
nor a
Jamā’ah
except behind he whom I know his
‘Aqīdah
on the inside.’ Then this one is
a
Mubtadi’
who is in contradiction to the
Sahābah
and the ones who followed them
in goodness and the four
Imāms
of the Muslims and others besides them.’
I say: If the one who says ‘I do not pray the
Jumu’ah
nor the
Jamā’ah
except behind he whom I know his
‘Aqīdah,’
is a misguided
Mubtadi’
in contradiction to the
Sahābah,
the
Tābi’īn
and all of the
Imāms
of the Muslims, then this ruling and description is more worthy
of being held upon the one who says ‘I do not pray the
Jumu’ah
nor the
Jamā’ah
except in a
Masjid
which I know the
‘Aqīdah
and the intentions of those who built the
Masjid
and laid its foundation.
I say: No one approaches this statement except for every over
strict
Mubtadi’
who overburdens (himself and others), whom the deviations and
desires of the extremist
Khawārij
from before have appealed to him.”
The Seventh
Issue: A
Masjid
which is frequented by members of the intelligence (agencies)
and spies who work as eyes for the oppresive
Tawāghīt,
with the objective of spying on the secrets and news of the
Muslims. Would the
Masjid
be
Dhirār,
having its rulings and descriptions, due to that?
The Answer:
The
Masjid
would not be considered
Dhirār
due to what was mentioned, because it was not established upon a
meaning from the meanings of the first
Masjid Adh-Dhirār.
And if the
Masjids
became
Dhirār
due to that, then no
Masjid
on the face of the Earth would be free except that is was
Dhirār.
And because, and it is regrettable, there is no
Masjid
– except for a few – except that it is clamouring wth the
tyrannical spies who spy upon the praying Muslims for the sake
of the
Tawāghīt.
So the
Masjids
are not judged based upon what has come upon them from
descriptions and factors, rather only upon considering the
causes and intentions upon which they were built and established
in the beginning and from the first day.
And this is a constant rule which must be used concerning every
Masjid
which is surrounded by arguing and disagreement.
And upon it, then the Muslim communities – in the western
countries – building
Masjids
in order to care for their herds and their children, to preserve
their
Islām
and their attribution to this Religion, teaching them the Arabic
language, and other than that from the affairs of the
Religion…So all these
Masjids
are not
Dhirār,
and it is not allowed to judge upon them that they are
Masājid Dhirār,
because they were established upon correct
Shar’ī
meanings, and they were not built upon any meaning from the
meanings which the first
Masjid Adh-Dhirār
was built upon.
And whoever follows the news and the programs that take place in
these
Masjids
finds in them much good for the Muslim children, just as he
finds in them various and beneficial knowledge based (study)
circles, (this is) added to the establishment of the prayers and
the
Jamā’ah.
So how is it possible to consider these
Masjids
that they are
Dhirār,
and that they were built upon (some) meanings and goals of the
Masjid Adh-Dhirār?
And like them are the
Masjids
which the
Islāmic Jamā’ahs,
parties, groups and other than them build; it is not allowed for
us as well to judge upon them
“collectively”
that they are all
Dhirār
in which
Salāt
is not allowed, without investigation and scrutiny regarding the
causes and objectives for the establishment of every
Masjid
from those
Masjids,
and whether (or not) there are any of them which were built upon
that which the first
Masjid Adh-Dhirār
was built upon and for.
So it is not from the knowledge, nor from the
Fiqh,
nor from the piety and devoutness for it to be said (about) and
pointed to all of these
Masjids
that they are
Dhirār,
due to the fact that those who take care of them are
Islāmic
communities, parties and
Jamā’ahs.
Just as it isn’t from the good assumptions which are obligatory
to be made with regards to the Muslims, especially the
Jamā’ahs
from them which are working for
Islām,
for it to be assumed about them from the beginning that they
build there
Masjids
for the devastative and dangerous objectives and goals for which
the first
Masjid Adh-Dhirār
was built. So assuming that about them in the first place
removes them from them being and having the description of
Jamā’ahs
which are working for
Islām.
And there is no doubt that this is from the transgression,
wrongdoing and oppression, the outcomes and results of which are
not praiseworthy.
He,
Ta’ālā,
said,
O you who Believe! Avoid much suspicions, indeed some suspicions
are sins
(Al-Hujurāt,
12)
And He,
Ta’ālā,
said,
They follow but a guess and that which they themselves desire (An-Najm,
23)
The Eighth
Issue: Are the churches, synagogues and other than
them from the temples of the
mushrikīn
included in the ruling of
Dhirār,
in that it is not allowed to pray in them?
The Answer:
From that which Allāh made this
Ummah
unique in is that He made all of the Earth as a purification and
Masjid
for them, which is acceptable for
Sujūd
and
Salāt,
except for some of the areas which the Texts have made exception
to, in which
Salāt
is not allowed.
And when the churches were not built upon the objective of
Dhirār,
and no Text which indicates the forbiddance of
Salāt
in them has come, we say:
Salāt
is allowed in the churches, synagogues and other than them from
the temples as long as they are free from idols, crosses,
statues, and graves which are worshipped beside Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
in them. And this is a matter which no disagreement is known
between the People of Knowledge.
Ibn Hazm said in “Al-Muhallā”,
Vol. 2/400, “Salāt
in the
church, the synagogue,
the house of fire,
the slaughterhouse – as long as it is free from urine, faeces,
and blood –
in the middle of the road, in the bottom of a canyon, in the
areas of
Khasf,
facing a he-camel or a she-camel, facing someone who is
speaking, someone who sleeping,
and in every area is allowed, as long as no Text nor consensus
of which there is certainty has come concerning the forbiddance
of
Salāt
in a given area, then it is to be stopped at the forbiddance.
From Abū Tharr, who said, ‘I said, ‘O Messenger of Allāh, which
of the
Masjids
was built on the Earth first?’ He said,
‘Al-Masid Al-Harām.’
I said, ‘Then which one?’ He said,
‘Al-Masjid Al-Aqsā.’
I said, ‘How many (years) between them?’ He said,
‘Forty years. Then wherever
the Salāt reaches you, then pray, as it is a Masjid.’
Agreed upon.
And we have narrated from the Messenger
of Allāh, (saw), from
the path of Abū Hurayrah, Jābir, Huthayfah, and Anas, that from
our virtues is that the Earth was made a
Masjid
for us.
And all of that which we have mentioned from the Earth,
then
Salāt
is permitted in it,
except for that which the Text has come concerning the
prohibition of
Salāt
in it,
like the living areas of camels,
the bathhouses,
the cemeteries,
towards a grave and upon it,
the area that was acquired unlawfully, the
Najas,
and the
Masjid Adh-Dhirār
only.”
End quote.
And Al-Qurtubī said in his book “Al-Jāmi’”,
Vol. 8/255, “And the church; harm of others was not intended by
its construction, even if the origin of its construction was
upon evil. But the Christians only took the church and the Jews
the synagogues as an area for them, as they claim, to worship
in, like the
Masjid
for us, so they are different.
And the scholars have formed consensus
upon that whoever prays
in a church or a synagogue,
upon a pure area, that his
Salāt
is valid (and) permitted. And Al-Bukhārī mentioned that Ibn
‘Abbās used to pray in a
synagogue if there were no statues in it. be.”
End quote. In other words, where their idols that they used to
worship beside Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
used to be, and that was after their removal and the
purification of the land from their filth.
I say: If the churches and synagogues which are established upon
shirk
are not included in the ruling and description of
Masjid Adh-Dhirār,
then how is it befitting for those ones who rush, to implement
their unjust rulings upon
Masjids
in which Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
is worshipped Alone, and in which the prayers and
Jamā’ahs
are established, and other than that from that which benefits
the Muslims and their children, that they are
Masājid Dhirār,
without substantiation or evidence, except for ignorance and
assumption?
The Ninth Issue:
What are the effects of the audacity against the Houses of Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
and judging upon them through oppression and transgression that
they are
Dhirār?
The Answer:
There is no doubt that accusing the Houses of Allāh out of
wrongdoing and transgression that they are
Dhirār,
upon that results very dangerous effects and results. From them
are:
Firstly:
That which we mentioned before from (the fact) that it leads to
violating all of the sanctities of the
Masjid,
in that the cesspits and the places in which garbage is thrown
are more noble with him and better than the
Masjids;
the most beloved places to Allāh,
Ta’ālā.
And with that, upon him is held the statement of Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
And who is more unjust than those who forbid that His Name be
glorified and
mentioned much (i.e. prayers and invocations, etc.) in Allāh’s
Mosques and
strive for their ruin? (Al-Baqarah,
114)
So he strives for their ruin, whether he knows that or does not
know.
Secondly:
It leads to the people abandoning the
Masjids,
and them abandoning the
Jumu’ah
and the
Jamā’ahs
in these General
Masjids.
Then that has a negative effect on their religion, their
conduct, their manners and their worship.
Thirdly:
Forbidding the children the benefits of the various and diverse
programs which are beneficial for them that are present in those
Masjids,
despite their touching need for them, especially the children
who live in the Western States, and most of whom have lost the
Arabic language, let alone the other religious aspects.
So the alternative for those children becomes the corrupt
streets, the immoral clubs, and sitting long hours in front of
the television screens which destroy the dispositions and the
values. Then the child will grow up to become an aggressive
enemy against his religion and his nation.
Fourthly:
It leads to
fitnah
and having division and disagreement creep between the Muslims.
So that which so and so sees as
Dhirār,
other than him sees that it is a House from the Houses of Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
which deserves glorification and reverence.
And that which so and so sees as a
Masjid Dhirār
which it is obligatory to abandon, destroy and torch, another
sees that it is a House from the Houses of Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
in which the
Salāts,
the
Jumu’ah
and the
Jamā’ahs
are established, and (that) it is a Symbol from the Symbols of
Islām
which it is obligatory to defend with that which is valuable and
worthful.
And like this, the people will divide into two groups, and maybe
even into numerous groups; all of them disagreeing, fighting and
becoming enemies amongst themselves, (as to) whether this
Masjid
is
Dhirār
or if it is not
Dhirār;
does it have the sanctity of the
Masjids
or does it not have (the sanctity of the
Masjids),
and likewise.
So from the objectives of removing the
Masājid Adh-Dhirār
is removing the division and achieving closeness and love
amongst the Muslim Believers. And here, due to the unjust
rulings upon the Houses of Allāh that they are
Dhirār,
the opposite of that is achieved. So where is the benefit behind
these unjust rulings, and who is the one who benefits from them,
and in whose service do they flow?
Fifthly:
It leads to accusing the brothers and each of them hurling
phrasings of
Tadhlīl,
Tabdī’
and
Tafsīq
at each other. So the one who sees the
Masjid
as it being
Dhirār
accuses the one who contradicts him with negligence and that he
is from the people of the
Masjid Adh-Dhirār,
and that he is an ignorant one who does not know the rulings of
the
Masājid Adh-Dhirār,
and that he is increasing the multitude of the people of
Dhirār,
and is helping them in
Dhirār,
and other than that from the list of wounding accusations which
do not end.
And likewise, the one who does not see the
Masjid
as it being
Dhirār
is not negligent with regards to the one who contradicts him, so
he releases phrasings of
Tabdī’,
Tajhīl,
(accusations of) extremism and other than that in their regard.
And all of this has what it has from the deadly, negative
results which backfire against the purity of the hearts, rather,
upon the
Islāmic
work as a whole, so contemplate.
Sixthly:
Those who see the
Masjids
as
Dhirār
have fallen into comprehensions which distinguish them from the
rest of the people. So they have known that which others besides
them did not know, and they are more severe in their zeal for
holding steadfast to the teachings of the Religion which others
besides them were ignorant of, and they are also more than other
than them in their disbelief in the
tāghūt,
and they are, and they are. And all of this has a (sense of)
delight in the weak, deficient selves, which the shaytān
generates, beautifies and adorns for them, in order to make them
fall into deceptions, pride and arrogance over their brothers.
So they come with a good deed, in their claims, then they bring
multiplied bad deeds opposite to it.
So both extremism and negligence have a (sense of) pleasure in
the weak selves, the generator of which is the shaytān. And
whoever the shaytān is not successful with from the side of
extremism and fanaticism, he comes to him from the side of
negligence and laxity. So the people of extremism and fanatacism,
the shaytān portrays to them that in their hands are the keys to
the Fire, (and) that it is possible for them to enter into it
whomsoever they will from those who contradict them or
contradict their beliefs, and that they also, with the swipe of
a pen, can change a
Masjid
to
Dhirār,
preventing the people from entering it and from worshipping in
it. So they own the staff of
Takfīr
and of placing for eternity into the Fire, with which they scare
the slaves and they shake it in front of any contradictor who is
not pleased with them. And in that they will achieve a euphoria
above which there is no euphoria, and especially if they see
that the people are ignorant ones who fear them and hope from
that that they do not make
Takfīr
of them or declare them to be in the Fire of
Jahannam
for eternity.
As for the people of negligence, laxity and
Irjā’,
then they are at the opposite of that, as the shaytān portrays
to them that the keys to
Jannah
are in their hands, and that it is within their ability to enter
whomsoever they will from the slaves into the
Jannah
and into the Mercy of Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
and especially if they see that the ignorant ones from the
people hope from them – with generous donations and other than
that – to make them eternally in the
Jannah
and to judge for them that they are from its people with
certainty, and to speak to them about the Mercy of Allāh which
covers them and covers their sins, and that they are forgiven
with certainty. So this also creates a great euphoria which
parallels the euphoria of their brothers from the people of
extremism and fanatacism. We seek refuge in Allāh from it, from
its people and from their satanic euphorias. And we distance
ourselves to Allāh,
Ta’ālā,
from the peop
