QUESTION:
Is it in accordance with the Adab and respect of the Masjid for a Masjid committee to use the premises as a venue for a community ‘Bring and Braai’ event? The event entails people bringing meat to the Masjid property and ‘braaing’ it thereon and thereafter, partaking of it. It is being done with the intention of ‘community building’. Is it correct to say the Masjid is a central place for the “community”, hence it is a place to hold such events?
ANSWER:
The Masjid is the house of Allah and must be sanctified at all times. Allah Ta’ala mentions in the Quraan Majeed:
وَمَن يُعَظِّمْ شَعَائِرَ اللَّهِ فَإِنَّهَا مِن تَقْوَى الْقُلُوبِ (الحجّ آ:32)
And whosoever honours the Symbols of Allah, then it is indeed from the piety of the heart
The environment in which one lives has an impact on people. A person on holiday no longer wakes up early, perhaps even misses his Fajr Salaah, changes his dressing, indulges in entertainment, etc. many of which are un-Islamic. On the other hand, a person that comes to the house of Allah is ready to connect with his Creator, recite Quraan Sharif, engage in Zikrullah and beg for his needs before Allah Ta’ala. The environment around the Masjid is therefore conducive for the Ibaadat of Allah Ta’ala. Now, if the Masjid is used as an entertainment centre (for the community) where braais are held, business stalls are put up, social gatherings take place then the sanctity of the Masjid will no longer remain, and people will no longer be connected to their Creator. Even if people come to the Masjid with the correct intention, everything will be lost because of the un-Islamic environment, hence it is inappropriate for the trustees to host a braai on the Masjid premises. If women are driven out of the home, then the matter is even more serious, as doing so is in direct conflict with the Quraan Sharif and means of great Fitnah, hence we strictly advise abstention from such practices.
قلت: وبهذا علم أيضا حرمة إحداث الخلوات في المساجد كالتي في رواق المسجد الأموي، ولا سيما ما يترتب على ذلك من تقذير المسجد بسبب الطبخ والغسل ونحوه ورأيت تأليفا مستقلا في المنع من ذلك (الدر المختار و حاشية ابن عابدين 4/358)
ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Molana A K Fazlani
Date: 06 Dhul Qa’dah 1445 / 15 May 2024
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Mohammed Desai
