The excellence of mosques

The excellence of mosques

The best places on earth are the mosques

It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin 'Umar (May Allah be well pleased with them), he says that a Jew scholar asked the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam): Which is the best of all places? The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) didn’t answer him and said: I will not answer this until Jibreel (May peace be upon him) comes.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) held His peace until Jibreel (May peace be upon him) came. He asked Jibreel (May peace be upon him) about this. He replied: In this regard, the one who is being asked doesn’t know more than the One who is asking. However, I will ask the Lord Almighty.

Then Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: O Muhammad (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam)! I became so close to Allah Most High that I had not had such closeness before this.

The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) asked: What kind of closeness was it o Jibreel?

Jibreel (May peace be upon him) said: There were 70,000 veils of radiance between me and Allah. Allah Most High said: The worst of all places are the markets and the best of all places are the mosques.

This is related by Ibn Hibban in his Sahih. Imam Ahmed, Abu Ya’ala, Hakim, Tabarani and Bazzaar have also related this Hadith similarly and Hakim has declared this Hadith to be rigorously authenticated.

Excellence of building mosques

It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Uthman (May Allah be well pleased with him), he says that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: The person who builds a mosque not for fame but only for the pleasure of Allah Most High, Allah Most High builds a house for that person in paradise.

This is related by both Bukhari and Muslim.

Making mosques grand and beautiful

It is narrated on the authority of Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with him), he says that the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said: Allah Most High has not ordered Me to make towering mosques and to adorn them with patterns and motifs.

(Keeping in mind the tendencies of men) Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Abbas (May Allah be well pleased with them) prophesized: You will definitely beautify mosques with gold the way Jews and Christians did so.

This is related by Abu Dawood.

In light of the aforementioned Hadith Ibn Battaal (May Allah shower His Mercy on him) has said that while building mosques, in their grandness, beautification and adornment, it is a Sunnah to exercise moderation and refrain from exorbitance. If not, this might lead to corruption and pride and vanity.

It should be remembered that these words express the prohibition of going overboard in the beautification and adornment of mosques, not of beautification of mosques itself.

When Hadhrat ‘Uthman (May Allah be well pleased with him) became the caliph, he enlarged the Masjid Nabawi. He used engraved stones for walls, instead of bricks and mortar. He als0o made the pillars of engraved stones instead of the trunks of date palms. He got the roof made out of teak instead of from date fronds.

The earlier 2 caliphs, may Allah be well pleased with them, had not thought about this because the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) had not given such a command. Their intent was to give a lesson of moderation, asceticism and frugality to the Muslims who came after them.

[Excerpted from Noor Ul Masabeeh, Vol. 2]