Etiquettes of the Masjid - Shaykh Wasim Kempson

Khutbah: Etiquettes of the Masjid

Indeed all praise and thanks is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. I bear witness that Allah alone is to be worshipped and that Muhammad ﷺ is his final messenger.

The First Masajid of Islam

My dear brothers and sisters, when the Prophet ﷺ made the hijrah from Mecca to Al-Madinah, before he ﷺ entered into Al-Madinah, a masjid was built — Masjid Quba — the first masjid in Islam, which has its own virtue in which:

Performing two rak'ahs inside that masjid is equal to the performing of an 'Umrah. (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith 324; Sunan Ibn Majah, Hadith 1412)

Similarly, the Prophet ﷺ upon arriving in Madinah built Masjid Al-Nabawi, which has its own fadila — that if someone prays there, that one salah is equal to alfu salah, to one thousand prayers. And Masjid Al-Haram — praying in that masjid is equal to one hundred thousand salawat.

Now within the space of about 15–16 years, we have Masjid Al-Haram in Mecca — which was purified from shirk in the 8th year of hijrah when the Prophet ﷺ returned to Mecca in 'Amul Fath — and there was the building of Masjid Al-Nabawi, and then there was Umar ibn Al-Khattab رضي الله عنه going to Masjid Al-Aqsa and reclaiming it for the Muslims. These three great sacred sites — places of the anbiya' wal-rusul, places of messengers and prophets — where the worship of the ibad of Allah was once again established upon earth.

And it is the responsibility of every Muslim to ensure that the worship of Allah is established in their homes, in their businesses, in their lives, and most importantly in the masajid — in the houses of Allah — buyutillah. And when something is connected to the name of Allah, so when we say baytullah, this is a connection with Allah which is called idhafat al-tashreef or idhafat al-ikram — this is raising the status of that which is connected to Allah.

The Most Beloved Places to Allah

So as the Prophet ﷺ told us:

The most beloved places to Allah are the masajid. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 671)

And as Allah says:

These are the places where the names of Allah are glorified and praised, where the khams salawat — the five daily prayers — are established. And for this reason it is the responsibility of every single Muslim to preserve, to protect, and to do what is necessary to ensure that the houses of Allah remain in the sacred state to which they have been raised. They are from sha'a'ir al-Islam — the houses of Allah are from the signs of al-Islam. The presence of a masjid means the presence of the adhan, that Allah is being mentioned frequently in that area five times a day.

Allah praises these places in the Quran — that only those who believe in Allah should be the ones who uphold and keep them, who establish their prayer, who pay their zakah, and only those who fear Allah. It is hoped that they will be the truly guided ones.

The Heart Attached to the Masjid

The Prophet ﷺ told us that on Yawm al-Qiyamah, from those individuals who will be shaded by Allah, from those is:

A man whose heart is attached to the masjid. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 660; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 1031)

So not only did Allah render these places the best of places — it is part of our iman, part of our faith, to be attached to and to love these particular places. The reward in performing salatul jama'ah is increased by khamsun wa ishrun — 25 — and in another narration sab'un wa ishrun — 27 degrees — over a person who is praying alone.

So the houses of Allah have a special place. Coming here, listening to the verses of Allah — the Prophet ﷺ told us of four benefits, four blessings, four virtues for people who come to listen to the words of Allah and study them:

Tranquility descends upon them, the mercy of Allah covers them, the angels surround them with their wings, and Allah mentions them among those who are with Him. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 2699)

Returning to the Masajid

These are very special places, my dear brothers and sisters. And now — walillahi alhamd — the masajid are now reopened to the way we once remembered them. We would like to hope that the gap we had, the limiting restrictions we had in having to space ourselves out — now we can come together, that the masajid can be filled, there is an increase in the number in the salatul jama'ah, that there is a greater reward for that, and that you recognize that, and that you know that, and that you are thankful to Allah that you are able to come back to the masajid.

And remembering what Allah said:

Only those who have iman in Allah should raise the masajid — the houses of Allah — those who have iman in Allah and belief in the hereafter, establish their prayer, give their zakah, and only fear Allah. And it is hoped that they will be from the muhtadeen.

We ask Allah to make us and all of you from the guided ones.

أَقُولُ قَوْلِي هَذَا وَأَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ لِي وَلَكُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ ذَنْبٍ فَاسْتَغْفِرُوهُ إِنَّهُ هُوَ الْغَفُورُ الرَّحِيمُ

Second Khutbah: Etiquettes of the Masjid

بِسْمِ اللهِ وَالْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ وَالصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَأَصْحَابِهِ أَجْمَعِينَ

Just mentioning a few virtues of this special place — the masajid, the place where we worship Allah — but as individuals, we have responsibilities towards the houses of Allah. The reward doesn't just start when you enter the masjid itself.

The Reward Begins at Home

The adab, the manners that we conduct and have inside the masjid — the reward, moreover, doesn't start from the time that you enter the masjid. The Prophet ﷺ said in the sound hadith:

Whoever purifies himself in his house then walks to the masjid, seeking only the prayer — for every step he takes there is a reward given to him and a sin removed. (Sahih Muslim, Hadith 666)

And that you are in a state of salah — a state of prayer, a state of ibadah — as long as that reason while you are there, or that you are attending the masjid, until you return. It is salah throughout this whole duration. From the time that you left your home until you return home, the gharad — the intention — of you coming here was to establish the salah. Allah rewards you, and the angels are seeking forgiveness for you:

"O Allah, forgive this individual. O Allah, have mercy upon this individual."

Entering and Leaving the Masjid

Knowing these virtues should encourage us to know the etiquettes of entering the masjid: with our right foot, exiting with the left foot. When you enter the masjid, you say bismillah and make the du'a when entering:

"O Allah, open the doors of Your mercy." These are the places of mercy, specifically and more so than other places.

And when you leave:

"O Allah, I ask You from Your bounty" — asking for the blessings that can be sought outside the houses of Allah.

Dressing Appropriately for the Masjid

These are the things that we remember. We come dressed appropriately, as Allah tells us:

That you wear the best of clothes, you smell nice, that you avoid the masjid if you've eaten things which may cause harm to others like onions and garlic and so on. These were the advices that the Prophet ﷺ gave to us. These are the etiquettes we adhere to.

Keeping the Masjid Clean

The masjid is to be looked after, to be kept clean. The Prophet ﷺ asked about a woman: "Where is the individual who is to clean the masjid?" And it was said to him ﷺ that she had died. And he ﷺ said, "Show me where her grave is." And he ﷺ went there and offered salah over her — رضي الله عنها. She is one who cleaned the masjid. SubhanAllah. These are the etiquettes, these are the things that we need to adhere to, so that we make this — if you can say — a beautiful experience for all of ourselves and those who are around us.

Removing Harm from the Pathway

We came here to remember Allah, we came here to seek Allah's forgiveness, for Him to guide us, to seek His blessings and virtues in all of our affairs. And the last point I mention — insha'Allah — is that the Prophet ﷺ said, and the matter is so vast, that iman is 60-odd or 70-odd branches:

Iman is 70-odd or 60-odd branches. The highest of it is the statement 'La ilaha illallah,' the lowest part is to remove any harm from the pathway, and bashfulness is a branch of faith. (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith 9; Sahih Muslim, Hadith 35)

Commenting on this amazing hadith — the part I want to mention is that the Prophet ﷺ spoke of removing anything harmful from the pathway. What does this mean? This also includes that when we come to the masjid, we ensure that people have a free way to come to the masjid, to enter and to exit. The Prophet ﷺ told us not to pray in the ways of people, to respect the ways people are coming and going. Even where we leave our cars — as Shaykh Ibn 'Uthaymeen رحمه الله تعالى commented on this hadith, mentioning even the cars — where we leave our cars should not harm other people in coming in and going out, because these represent the pathways.

Closing Du'a

So we ask Allah to give us tawfiq — success — in understanding the blessings and the virtues of the masjid. And we ask Allah to place in our hearts a love, a desire to be in the house of Allah. These are the most beloved places to Allah, and we would love to have in our hearts the love for what Allah loves. We want a true love in our hearts for that as well. Don't just see it as a responsibility or a burden.

We ask Allah to guide us all, to protect us all, and to guide all of our families and the Ummah of Muhammad ﷺ. We ask Allah to preserve the Muslims all around the world, and in the hereafter to protect us from the punishment of the Fire.

And stand up for your prayers — may Allah have mercy on you.