Riyadh al-Salihin from the words of the Master of the Messengers, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
Chapter: The Prohibition of Spitting in the Mosque.
And the command to remove it if it is found therein.
And the command to keep the mosque free from impurities.
From Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Spitting in the mosque is a sin,
and its expiation is to bury it."
Agreed upon.
The meaning of "burying it"
is that if the mosque floor is made of dirt, sand, or the like,
one should conceal it beneath the soil.
Abu al-Mahasin al-Ruyani,
one of our scholars, said in his book *al-Bahr*:
It has been said
that the meaning of burying it
is to remove it from the mosque.
As for if the mosque is tiled or plastered,
then rubbing it with one's footwear or something else,
as many ignorant people do,
is not considered burying it;
rather, it is an increase in the sin
and a spreading of the impurity within the mosque.
Whoever does that
must wipe it away afterwards
with their garment, hand, or something else,
or wash it.
*Busaq* (spitting) and its equivalent *buzaq*
is that which exits a person
when they clear their throat.
"Burying it"
means to conceal it or remove it.
"A sin"
means a misdeed to which a penalty is attached.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The obligation to keep mosques free
from filth and dirt,
and to maintain their cleanliness,
because they are the houses of Allah.
The prohibition of casting impurities in mosques,
such as saliva, phlegm, mucus, and the like.
It is mandatory for anyone who casts filth in the mosque
to hasten to remove it and clean the mosque,
so that they may be absolved of the sin
incurred by casting harm in the houses of Allah.
From 'A'ishah, may Allah be pleased with her:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
saw mucus on the wall of the *qiblah*,
or saliva,
or phlegm,
and he scraped it off.
Agreed upon.
*Mukhat* (mucus)
is that which comes from the nose.
*Buzaq* (saliva)
is that which comes from the mouth.
*Nukhama* (phlegm)
is that which comes from the chest.
"And he scraped it off"
means he removed it by scraping.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The recommendation to hasten in removing filth from the mosque,
and the exhortation to keep it free from such things.
The highest degree of changing an evil
is by the hand.
The prohibition of mucus, saliva, or phlegm in the mosque.
From Anas, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Indeed, these mosques are not suitable for any of this urine or filth;
they are only for the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted, and the recitation of the Qur'an,"
or as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said.
Narrated by Muslim.
"Are not suitable"
means it is not befitting for them.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The establishment of the impurity of human urine.
The exhortation to respect mosques and keep them free from impurities.
The exhortation to populate the houses of Allah with prayer and the recitation of the Qur'an,
the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted, and circles of beneficial knowledge.
Chapter: The Dislike of Arguing in the Mosque,
raising one's voice therein,
announcing lost property, buying, selling, leasing,
and similar transactions.
From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That he heard the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, say:
"Whoever hears a man announcing lost property in the mosque,
let him say:
'May Allah not return it to you,'
for the mosques were not built for this."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Announcing" (*yanshudu*)
means seeking.
"Lost property" (*dallah*)
refers to lost animals or other items.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of announcing lost property in the mosque.
Mosques were built for worship, remembrance, and knowledge.
The prohibition of disturbing those who are praying.
The obligation of enjoining good and forbidding evil.
Among this is invoking against the one who announces lost property
with the opposite of his intent and the reverse of his desire,
as a rebuke and a deterrent to him.
From Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"If you see someone selling or buying in the mosque,
say:
'May Allah not make your trade profitable.'
And if you see someone announcing lost property, say:
'May Allah not return it to you.'"
Narrated by al-Tirmidhi.
"Buying" (*yabta'*)
means purchasing.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of buying, selling, and announcing lost property in mosques.
The prohibition implies unlawfulness, as is the default rule.
It becomes more profound through the emphasis of the rebuke,
and by invoking against the one who does so with the opposite of his intent and the reverse of his desire.
The permissibility of invoking against those who commit sins and follow desires with the opposite of what they seek.
Mosques are the marketplaces of the Hereafter;
therefore, part of their etiquette is to keep them free from worldly affairs
and matters that have no connection to the Hereafter.
From Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him:
That a man announced in the mosque, saying:
"Who can help me find the red camel?"
The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"May you not find it;
the mosques were only built for what they were built for."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Help me find" (*da'a ila*)
means to inquire about.
"For what they were built for"
means for remembrance, prayer, the recitation of the Qur'an,
and circles of knowledge and learning.
From the benefits of the hadith:
Mosques were built for the interests of the Muslims in this world and the Hereafter;
thus, it is not permissible to convert them for the interest of an individual, a party, or a faction.
The exhortation to invoke that the lost property not be returned to the one who announces it in the mosque.
It is recommended to increase the remembrance of Allah, the Exalted, in the mosque, as well as *tasbih* (saying SubhanAllah), *tahlil* (saying La ilaha illa Allah),
*tahmid* (saying Alhamdulillah), *takbir* (saying Allahu Akbar), and other forms of *dhikr*.
Likewise, the recitation of the Qur'an, the study of the Prophetic hadith, the science of *fiqh*,
and the means of acquiring religious sciences.
From 'Amr ibn Shu'ayb, from his father, from his grandfather, may Allah be pleased with him:
That the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, forbade buying and selling in the mosque,
and that lost property be announced therein,
or that poetry be recited therein.
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of worldly trade, announcing lost property, and reciting poetry in mosques.
It is permissible to recite poetry in the mosque
if it contains a benefit for the Muslims,
or incitement to fight an enemy, or satire against the polytheists,
just as the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, commanded Hassan ibn Thabit to do when the disbelievers came.
From al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid, the Companion, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"I was in the mosque when a man threw pebbles at me.
I looked, and it was 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him.
He said, 'Go and bring those two to me.'
I brought them to him.
He asked, 'Where are you both from?'
They replied, 'From the people of Ta'if.'
He said, 'If you were from the people of this city, I would have punished you;
you are raising your voices in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.'"
Narrated by al-Bukhari.
"Threw pebbles at me" (*hasabani*) means he threw small stones at me.
These are small pebbles.
From the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of raising voices in mosques for fear of causing disturbance.
The permissibility of corporal punishment by the ruler or his deputy
for those who violate the command of Allah, as a disciplinary measure.
Gentleness with the ignorant and teaching them the etiquette of the mosques.
The ignorant person is excused for his ignorance;
that is why 'Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, excused them,
because they were from the people of Ta'if,
as he inferred from that they were ignorant of the mosque's etiquette.
The permissibility of drawing a man's attention by throwing small pebbles without causing harm.
This is not considered the forbidden flicking of pebbles.
Chapter: The Prohibition for One Who Has Eaten Garlic or Onions,
or leeks, or anything else that has a foul odor,
from entering the mosque before the odor has dissipated,
unless there is a necessity.
From Ibn 'Umar, may Allah be pleased with them both:
That the Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever eats from this plant"—meaning garlic—
"let him not approach our mosque."
Agreed upon.
And in a narration by Muslim: "our mosques."
From Anas, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever eats from this plant, let him not approach us,
and let him not pray with us."
Agreed upon.
From Jabir, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said:
"Whoever eats garlic or onions, let him keep away from us,
or let him keep away from our mosque."
Agreed upon.
And in a narration by Muslim:
"Whoever eats onions, garlic, and leeks,
let him not approach our mosque,
For the angels are offended by that which offends the children of Adam.
It is narrated from ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him,
that he delivered a sermon on a Friday,
and said during his sermon:
"O people,
you consume two plants that I consider nothing but foul:
onions and garlic.
I have seen the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
when he would detect their scent on a man in the mosque,
he would order him to be taken out to al-Baqi‘.
So whoever eats them,
let him kill their odor by cooking them."
Narrated by Muslim.
"I consider them"
means: I do not deem them to be anything else.
"Foul"
means: of poor taste and repulsive odor.
"Let him kill them"
means: let him eliminate their odor.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition is specific to those who intend to enter the mosque,
and is not absolute.
This is because these vegetables are inherently permissible.
The prohibition is against eating them when attending the mosques,
because their odor is foul.
Therefore, this applies to anything with a repulsive odor,
such as radishes, smoke, and the like.
The angels are offended by that which offends the children of Adam.
Islam is keen on the harmony of its followers,
and on removing anything that might alienate them,
or cause division among their congregation.
Chapter: The dislike of sitting in the 'ihtiba' position on Friday while the Imam is delivering the sermon.
Because it induces sleep,
causing one to miss listening to the sermon,
and there is a fear of breaking one's wudu'.
From Mu‘adh ibn Anas al-Juhani, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
forbade the 'ihtiba' position on Friday
while the Imam is delivering the sermon.
Narrated by Abu Dawud and al-Tirmidhi.
'Ihtiba' is for a person to draw their legs up to their abdomen,
using a garment to hold them together with their back,
and tying it around them.
It may also be done with the hands instead of a garment.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition of 'ihtiba' during the Friday sermon.
The 'ihtiba' position is a likely cause of sleep,
and therefore, one misses listening to the sermon.
It may also invalidate one's wudu'.
The encouragement to be attentive to the speaker on Friday,
and not to be distracted from it,
so that the purpose of listening to him is achieved.
Chapter: The prohibition for one who has entered the ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah
and intends to offer a sacrifice,
from removing any of his hair or nails
until he has offered the sacrifice.
From Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Whoever has an animal to sacrifice,
when the crescent of Dhu al-Hijjah appears,
let him not remove any of his hair or nails
until he has offered the sacrifice."
Narrated by Muslim.
"Sacrifice" refers to what is slaughtered as an offering,
or other animals.
"Let him not remove"
means: let him not trim them.
Among the benefits of the hadith:
The prohibition for one upon whom the sacrifice is incumbent,
and who has seen the crescent of Dhu al-Hijjah,
from removing anything from his nails or hair.
Riyad al-Salihin.