Why Don't We Pray Twice After Entering the Masjid?
Understanding Exceptions to Prayer Time Prohibitions: Place-Based Prayers and the Masjid
Summary
Sh. Ali Mashhour continues his discussion on the timings of prayer and the three prohibited times for optional prayers, focusing on exceptions to these prohibitions. He explains that optional prayers specified by time, place, or occasion are exempt from general prohibitions. The lecture centers on prayers tied to specific places, particularly the two rakah prayer upon entering the masjid. Sh. Ali Mashhour clarifies a common misconception about this prayer through logical reasoning with the congregation, explaining that this prayer doesn't need to be made separately if one has already prayed an obligatory prayer. He emphasizes that the spirit of this ruling is to show respect for the masjid as a sacred space by praying before sitting. He also addresses practical confusion in some masajid where people avoid sitting or praying due to misunderstanding the prohibitions, and mentions that Mecca is another place-based exception where prayers can be made at any time.
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So I don't know.
[Silence]
Alhamdulillah. Continuing in the book of prayer, the chapters regarding the timings of prayer. And we were discussing the three main prohibited times for a person to pray. And the instances which are considered exempted from and and considered to be exceptions to that those three prohib prohibited times of prayer. And we said that any specific prayer that is optional if it is specified by time, place or occasion, it becomes exempt from the general prohibited times of prayer. Right?
[Silence]
And we mentioned yesterday and the day before examples of optional prayers which are connected to a particular time and we mentioned for instance making or making optional prayers before Jum begins and that a person continues to pray optional prayers until the im rises onto the me. Okay. So the second of these types is those prayers, optional prayers which are a which are tied to a place to a specific place such as the prayer for the masid which is referred to by the as this isn't a title that is found in the sunnah per se. It's what the scholars and jurists of Islam used to refer to that prayer which is made for the occasion of entering the masjid. Now it's important to understand something when we look at a statement that the prophet made saiam such as They said if any of you enters into the masid then he is not to sit down until he makes to raqa prayer. Let's examine this narration for a second. What we understand from the narration at its face value is that if a person enters the masid, they are to make two raqa and that these two raqa they are not to sit until they have made them. Now let me ask you a question. How many of us today right now for this prayer came into the masid during the obligatory prayer either just as the was called or as we were already in prayer join the prayer and we finish prayer and now we're all seated. Did any of us get up and pray to raka again immediately after the prayer? The answer is no. Is that right or wrong? No, that's correct. You'll never find a narration where the companions finished their salah, got up immediately, and made two raqa. Why? Why didn't we make two raqa? Why? Huh? We already made the obligatory prayer, correct? Okay. The obligatory prayer was two. Let's say it was and we made four for or let's say it was and we made three or four for would we get up in that case and make two raqa.
[Arabic recitation]
The answer is no. So what does that tell us? This is correct by the way. The companions never made those salah and then got up and made two raqa. You'll never find an narration that. You'll never find the prophet himself doing this. Why? Because unanimously we all understand that we've already prayed. We've already prayed. We've already prayed. We've already prayed. So we don't have to pray the two. So this means that the two raqa for entering the masid it doesn't have to be two raqa those two raqa are not intended for themselves being two raqa with the intention of masid the point is and the spirit of the narration if any of you enters into the masid he is not to sit until he prays to the spirit Spirits of the narration is the masid is not every other place on earth. It is bad manners to just walk into the masid and use it without praying first. So make sure that you pray first before you sit down whatever that prayer is. We all understood this without really putting it into words. Right? And this is what the scholars understand from.
[Silence]
And so two, whether it be two or three or four, the least a person can make is two, right? So it has to be at least two. But if it's more than that then you've done what you have to do based on this. A person does not have to isolate from other prayers. If a person comes in let's say for and they're going to make two for the right two. Do they have to make two raqa for the masjid and then two raqa for separate? No, they just make two raqaud. And that is because that's the point of the narration. The point of the narration is not to treat the masid any other building. It is sacred. And so the first thing you do when you enter the masid is you pray. You do what the masid was initially built for and then after that you may use its facilities. This is what is intended. But in the absence of any pressing prayer immediately then the least is for us to make to correct and for this reason in the form of is considered optional. Some scholars have said it is obligatory. But the point is is that this is a which is tied to the place. Therefore, it is exempt from the prohibitions. It is exempt from the prohibition of salah after salah before salah after sometimes some massages when you come into the masid if you come in before it's interesting to look at if you come into the masid you'll find that Just before Mr. there's many people in the masid all walking around inside the masid inside the masid just walking. Have you ever seen this before? Have you ever seen this? Have you ever seen this? Some must. Why is this? Because they believe that this is not permissible to pray before you sit down. But it's also not permissible to pray after. So we're in a problem here. So what do we do? We just stroll right until the adan of is in and then we can pray and sweet relief we can finally sit down. No narration ever has this in it where the companions were all standing up in the masjid. Why don't you guys sit down? Well, you know, we can't pray after also and we can't sit down, so we're stuck in this kind of limbo. And so, this is where the exemptions from prohibitions that come in. Another exemption of place is Mecca. that a person may that a person may pray anytime they are in Mecca. There is no prohibition for the time of prayer. And this is something that we will discuss tomorrow inshallah.
[Arabic recitation]