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“Woe to those who pray, but are unmindful of their prayer, or who pray only to be seen by people”.

— Al-Qur’an [107: 4-7]

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Islam has been jeopardising in the hands of the in efficient members of Management Committee and ignorant and unqualified Imams (Clerics)!

Purposed built Mosques must be Facing the Qiblah (Ford for every prayer)! All purposed built mosques MUST have accurate Qiblah direction. To stand facing the Qiblah is Fard. Praying imaginative Qiblah Direction will spoil the prayers.

Prayer in the purposed built Hyde Jamia Mosque following an imaginative Qiblah direction must be invalidated.

Every day millions of Muslims turn toward Mecca and pray. They are required to pray five times a day and “If a Muslim prays without the right attitude of mind, it is as if they hadn’t bothered to pray at all. This is what Allaah (SWT) says –

“Woe to those who pray, but are unmindful of their prayer, or who pray only to be seen by people ”

Al-Qur’an Kareem Sura Al-Maa’un 107 4-7)

It is the Sunnah that Friday ‘Jumma’ congregation prayers would be lawfully valid in such a Jamia Mosque which has following accurate Qiblah direction only. Generally, a Mosque building is erected on land owned by a trust for the purpose and it is a condition that the general men and female Muslim public of any colour have free access to the mosque for offering prayers. Those mosques are called ‘Jamia Mosques’. No Friday Prayer congregation will be valid in such a privately owned mosque. Because the public may not have the free hindrance of access to those Mosques.

For example, I would prefer to state from my own experiences about the Mosque almost just opposite to my house. It is called ‘Hyde Jamie Mosque and Islamic Cantre’. It’s a registered charity #513337. The charity employs three Imams (Clerics) who came from Bangladesh. They have received mostly from ‘Cowmmi Madrasas’.

The Mosque initially started on the ground floor of a three-storied building at 21 Jackson Street, Hyde. The ground floor of that building was used to be a storeroom. That storeroom was converted to as the first Muslims’ prayer room in named ” Jamia Mosque and Islamic Centre”. in the Town where I live in the UK,

Its first floor was not good to use and the second floor had been used as the residence of the then Imams (Clerics) namely the newly migrated Hafiz Mohd. Younus Ali and from Bangladesh Moulvi Nazir Ahmed joined to live together on the third floor. Moulvi Nazir Ahmed himself memorized the Holy Qur’an and has become Hafiz too. The ground floor ‘storeroom’ was not large enough to accommodate the number of Mosque going Muslims of the town and the Muslims from the neighbouring towns.

According to the system of offering the prayer, either individually or in a congregation; it is ‘Fard’ (mandatory) to face the accurate direction of the Qiblah (the Ka’ba-the Mosjidul Haram) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia in all prayers. It was checked and found the room is in line about 15/20 degrees away from the accurate direction of Qiblah. Based on the ruling of Sunnah, the Muslims were praying to face straighten parallel to the Jackson Street, it was a bit deviated away from the accurate direction of Qiblah. In the cases of a converted prayer room or Mosque, it has been allowed by a ‘Decree’ up to 40-degree variation. So it was OK at that time and situation to continue praying there, at that occasion and we followed. Later the property at 21 Jackson Street became a Charity and was registered with the Charity Commission in England and Wales.

Well-ahead the Charity bought properties Nos. 16 and 18 Greenfield Street and built a purposed built Mosque on the lands of both of them and dismantled the converted prayer room (known as the Mosque at 21 Jackson Street. A new building was built on No. 16 together with the land of No.18 Greenfield Street squarely on the line to Jackson Street. The Charity’s prime activity was ‘Prayers’, started offering the prayer from the new purpose-built Mosque building; but not in the accurate direction of Qiblah because the migrant ‘Imams (Clerics)’ and the then Mosque Committee with an unlettered Chairman Mr Noorfor Ali didn’t care to mark the Qiblah direction in its planning of the newly built Mosque building, rather they set the prayer mat following the demolished previous converted Mosque at No. 21 Jackson Street which was then a vacant plain field!

When I raised the Qiblah issue, the said Imams, arrogantly cited an ‘Isma’, which says, ‘If a new Mosque is built ON the ground of the demolished Mosque, they meant the vacant ground of No. 21 Jackson Street, Hyde should follow the direction of Qiblah! The Imams were wrong because AT THAT TIME, THE GROUND OF 21 JACKSON STREET, HYDE was vacant land. The new Mosque was not built at that time on the ground of No. 21 Jackson Street, Hyde where we prayed in as a converted prayer Room though it was named as “Hyde Jamie Mosque and Islamic Centre”.

The Imams first rejected the use of direction finder ‘Compass’ as out of Sunnah (because neither the Prophet (PBUH) nor his companion/s) used ‘Compass’. So the Compass was Bidhah and uttered “qullu Bidhah dalala feen-Nar(fire of Hell)”? Because the innovated “Compass”. So the Imams were not enough educated in the ‘Ilm-e-Deen e Islam and were wrong in their decision on the basis of that! These persons who learnt Arabic in the “Cowmi Madrasas” standard and didn’t know the institute where they studied was itself Bidhah because they were in invention and they have not been established in the time of our Holy Prophet (PBUH) or in time of his any companions thereof, they do not contradict the Qur’an Kareem or Sahih Hadiths (sayings of the Prophet (PBUH) is Bidhah-e-Hasanah ( not Bidha e sayyah) and acceptable because they are helping to spread the teaching of Qur’an and Sunnah. So the Compass is a Bidha-e-Hasana; hence the use of Compass is permissible and cannot be rejected as saying it ignorantly a Bid’ah! It did not include in the “Certificate” they possessed; so the Mosque Management, who recruited these ‘Certificate’ holding Alems were not aware of the depth of their knowledge and experience!

These ‘little’ leaned Alims (Imams), as well as the members of Mosque Committee, termed my opinion to use ‘Compass’ the product of scientific and mathematical is ‘Haram(sinful?), and the other because our Holy Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) did not use ‘Compass’.

“So using the Compass cannot be “na-jayez”(forbidden) and Haram(Sinful)”. At the same time, the so-called learned Imams and unqualified members of the Mosque Committee do ignorantly employ them in the Mosque; the ‘Electronic Wall Clock’, ‘Radio to widen Adhan/deliberations’ across the subscribers, “Electronic Microphone to deliver Friday Khuthba as well as conducting all the daily prayers in Arabic the language of the Holy Qur’an and conducting congregation prayers within the Mosque itself proudly”, using the ‘Wrist-watch’; riding Taxis, Train, fly-by ‘Aeroplane’; as they stated, none of those too were been existent or had been used by neither our Holy Prophet (PBUH) nor by his Companions in their times? So the so-called ‘Cowmi-A’lim’ have been being Double Standard! So even after knowing the said Imams(Clerics) they woefully went on following their views have not realised, nor have calculated how much Sins have they and their followers earned or earned each day, weeks, months and years denying to follow the Qiblah(Fard) direction correctly in their all prayers in that Mosque?

According to them, using these have to be out of sunnah. But they have been using them raising no objection whatsoever. They have not been intelligent enough to understand that they have been a double standard. If it is Sinful to use them; they have been earning enough Sins! The Imams wrote their so-called Fatwa against me and dare not listen to the A’lims of Riyadh(KSA) and even they ignored what the Sheikh Ibrahim Mogra of Muslim Council of Britain in the UK strongly supported that the use of ‘amplifier/microphone or Compass’ are not conflicting the Holy Qur’an is acceptable to determine the right direction of Qiblah and “the direction of Qiblah of a purpose-built Mosque must be absolutely accurate”!

The Imams of Hyde Jamie Mosque purported to give a Fatwa saying, if a new mosque is built on the ground of an old Mosque, it is permissible to follow the qiblah direction. It is the argumentative scholar decision. But the previous prayer room at 21 Jackson Street was not a purpose-built Mosque. In their Fatwa, Maulana Nazir Ahmed and Maulana Abdul Malik lied and stated:

“the demolished Mosque at 21 Jackson Street, Hyde was a purposed built Mosque built by the Muslims living in Hyde and the Qiblah direction of that Mosque was determined in consultation with the A’lems”.

So, according to them, the new purpose-built Mosque is following the same direction as the demolished old converted Mosque? They unwittingly overlooked the deviation allowed in the case of the ‘converted’ old Mosque which is not applicable at all to the purpose-built new Mosque!

These Imams (clerics) were wrong in both the issues

Firstly, the building at 21 Jackson Street, Hyde was neither built by any Muslim nor built as a purpose-built Mosque at all. It was a three-storied terrace house. The ground floor of that building was used to be a storehouse. Muslims of Hyde bought that building and though the ground floor ‘storehouse’ to a prayer room converted as named “Hyde Jamie Mosque and Islamic Centre”.

Secondly, the new purpose-built Mosque was building was built on the grounds of the terrace houses at 16 and 18 Greenfield Street (where no purposed built Mosque ever been built) and that building was not built on the ground of the old terrace house at 21 Jackson Street was demolished and left vacant. Two storied building was made with no ‘tomb’ or minaret.

Years later on the second phase, it was extended the building intending two floors meant for prayer’s halls floors and the second 58 Corporation Street, Hyde and included the vacant place of 21 Jackson Street. Therefore, the decision they grasped was based on their biased knowledge and innocent assumption were totally wrong. As a result, these Imams succeeded to spoil the prayers of all the Mosque goers including themselves.

Some of the Mosque goers become aware of the fact and asked late Maulana Nazir Ahmed (deceased) about the accuracy of the direction of the Qiblah? He replied, “Yes we know. The Qiblah direction is not straight but a bit across to our left-hand-side corner.” At the same time, he added, “However our prayers shall be valid even though we are following the direction as we followed in the past.” People asked; if we know the accurate direction of Qiblah, why we are not praying towards that direction? The Imam replied, “It is our mozburi!” He did not say, what the so-called ‘mozburi’ was? ‘Mosque has neither been subject to any extreme fear(?) nor on the move on the mount’?

Later I learnt, the late Imam confirmed, “If there be any Sin not following the accurate Qiblah of the Mosque, I (The Imam) will bear all those Sins.” Nowjubillah!

Where Allaah (SWT) in the Holy Qur’an Kareem assured in several places that –

“Every soul earns only to its own account; no soul laden bears the load of others”.

Allah (SWT) Has repeated the above verse in the Holy Qur’an Kareem in:

Sura – 6 Al-Anam : v-164; Sura – 17 Al-Isra: v-15; Sura – 39 Az-Zumur: v-7.

Allaah (SWT) Says in the Holy Qur’an: “…so turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid al-Haram (at Makkah). And whosesoever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction…”

(Qur’an 2:144)

And Abu Ishaq reported:

I heard al-Bara’ saying: “We prayed with the Messenger of Allaah (may peace be upon him) (with our faces) towards Bait-ul-Maqdis (in Jerusalem) for sixteen months or seventeen months. Then we were made to change (our direction) towards the Ka’ba”.

(Muslim)

Sayyid Sabiq writes,

“All scholars agree that one must face the Masjid al-Haram (in Makkah) during every prayer…If one cannot determine the direction of the Qiblah then he should ask one who knows. If no one found to ask, he should try his best to determine it. In such a case, his prayer will be valid, and he need not repeat it even though he discovers later on that he had faced in the wrong direction.”

If it is made clear to him while he is praying that he is facing the wrong direction, he need only turn in towards the proper direction without stopping his prayer. This is based on the following incident: Ibn ‘Umar reported that ‘the people were praying the morning prayer in the Quba’ mosque when a person came to them and said,

“Allaah has revealed some of the verses of Holy Qur’an to the Prophet in which we have been ordered to face the Ka’bah, so face it.” They immediately turned their faces from Syria to the Ka’bah” (Bukhari and Muslim)…”

(Fiqh us-Sunnah Vol. 1 Pg. 114a-115)

However, there is leave if

“praying while having to deal with forced conditions, illness and fear. Under such circumstances, it is allowed to pray without facing the Qiblah. The Prophet, upon whom be peace, said, ‘If I order you to do something, do what you are capable of doing.’

Says Allaah (SWT),

‘If you go in fear, then (pray) standing or on your mounts…’ (2:239). Ibn ‘Umar added ‘Facing the qiblah or not facing it’ .

(Bukhari)”(Fiqh us-Sunnah vol.1 pg. 115a)

This is the saying of Allaah subhanuhu wa ta’la:

“And fear Allaah to the best of your ability.”

[Al-Qur’anul Kareem : At-Taghaabun 64: Ayah 16]

And also the saying of Allaah subhanuhu wa ta’la is:

“Allaah does not burden a soul beyond its scope.”

[Al-Qur’anul Kareem : Al-Baqarah 2: Ayah 286]

And also the saying of Allaah subhanuhu wa ta’la is:

“Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawaat (the prayers) especially the middle Salaat (i.e. the best prayer ‘Asr). And stand before Allaah with obedience [and do not speak to others during the Salaat (prayers)]. And if you fear (an enemy), perform Salaat (pray) on foot or riding.”

[Al-Qur’anul Kareem : Al-Baqarah 2: Ayahs 238 & 239]

And also because of the Prophet’s (PBUH) saying:

“And if I order you to do something, then do of it as much as you can.”

[See Bukhari, vol.9, no. 391]

The basic rule concerning the direction we face in prayer is that it should be toward the Sacred Mosque in Makkah. This is stated in the Ayahs 144, 149 and 150 of Surah Al-Baqarah 2 in the Holy Qur’an. The fact that it is repeated three times in exactly the same wording emphasizes its importance. It is Fard(Mandatary) as Allaah Almighty wants His servants to face Kaaba while praying.

Translation of the Response of His Eminence, the great Imam, The Shaykh of al-’Azhar, may Allaah protect him.

Brothers in Islam,

Assalamu a’laikum wa rahmatullah

“One of the conditions of Prayer being valid is facing the Qiblah, and Prayer is not valid without that because Allaah has enjoined that repeatedly in the Qur’anul Kareem. Allaah (SWT) says: “So turn your face in the direction of Al-Masjid Al-Haram (at Makkah). And wherever you people are, turn your faces (in prayer) in that direction.”

[Al-Qur’anul Kareem Al-Baqarah 2: Ayah 144] –Shaykh Muhammad Saleh Al-Munajjid. The great Imam :: The Shaykh of al-’Azhar

Among the pre-requisites for the validity of the prayer (whether optional or obligatory) is to direct oneself toward al-Ka^bah for those who are outside of Makkah, as long as they are safe and are able to do so. This has been confirmed by the Book of Allaah, the Sunnah and al-‘ijma^ (consensus).

“Among the pre-requisites for the validity of the prayer (whether optional or obligatory) is to direct oneself toward al-Ka^bah for those who are outside of Makkah, as long as they are safe and are able to do so.“
– Shaykh Al-Azhar, may Allaah protect him.

As in the Al-Qur’an of Allaah, in the Qur’anul Kareem – Baqarah 2, ‘Ayah 150:

“From wherever you start turn your face in the direction of the Sacred Mosque, and wherever you are turn your face in its direction.”

What is meant by the Sacred Mosque is al-Ka^abah itself.

As to the Sunnah, it was narrated by Imam Muslim that the Prophet (PBUH) said: “If you stand up for prayer, perform your complete wudu’ then face the Qiblah and say Allahu ‘Akbar.” The ‘ijma^ of the Muslims (i.e., the Muslim scholars) has been established in that regard.

The basis is that it is obligatory to face the Qiblah in prayer is what was narrated by al-Bukhariyy and Muslim from the route of al-Bara’ Ibn ^Azib, may Allaah reward them, that when the Prophet (PBUH), arrived in Madinah, he prayed toward Bayt al-Maqdis (Jerusalem) sixteen or seventeen months and that he had liked that his Qiblah was toward al-Bayt. Also, the first prayer he performed was al-^Asr and a group of people prayed with him. One of them passed by a group of people in a mosque who were in ruku^ in prayer and he said: “By Allaah, I bear witness that I have prayed with the Messenger of Allaah, (PBUH), toward Makkah. All of them turned toward the House (Ka^bah).”

Cases excluded from facing Al-qiblah

The scholars excluded the obligatory of facing the Qiblah in two cases of prayers.

(1) The first is the case of extreme fear, and
(2) The second is the case of the optional prayer while traveling while riding an animal.

This is the fatwa of His Eminence, the Great Imam, the Shaykh of al-‘Azhar that we convey to you.
Signed by –
The Chairman of the Central Directorate
of the Office of the Great Imam
the Shaykh of al-‘Azhar
Muhammad Yusuf ^Afifiyy.”
___________________________
(Courtesy: qiblah.us)

Having said that, there are many mosques where you have to make your rows diagonal in a slight or marked degree in order to be in line with the Kaaba. There is nothing wrong with this, although, for convenience sake, it is better to make the mosque building properly lined with the Kaaba, so that it accommodates the largest possible number of worshippers.

Therefore, the permissible exceptions are not applicable to this Hyde Jamie Mosque! What makes the Imams to knowingly ignore a Fard in the prayers? Hence, it cannot be out of place, if we say the Mosque goers to Hyde Jamie Mosque are the victims of spoiling their prayers due to knowingly praying not towards accurate qiblah due to the ignorance of the Imams who are supposed to be the preachers of the religion of peace – Islam!

Muslim women’s going to Mosque for prayer

“The mosques of Allaah shall be visited and maintained by such as belief in Allaah and the Last Day, establish regular prayers, and pay the zakat, and fear none (at all) except Allaah. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance.”

[Al-Qur’anul Kareem : At-Tawba 9: Ayah 18]

It is related from Ibn ‘Umar that the Prophet, may Allaah bless him and grant him peace, said,

“Permit women to go to the mosque at night.”

(Bukhari: Hadith No. 857)

It is related that Ibn ‘Umar said,

“A wife of ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab used to attend the group prayers of Subh and ‘Isha’ in the mosque. She was asked, ‘Why do you come out when you know that ‘Umar dislikes it and is jealous?’ She said, ‘What stops him from forbidding me then?’ The man said, “The words of the Messenger of Allaah, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, “Do not forbid the female slaves of Allah from attending the mosques of Allah.”

(Bukhari: Hadith No. 8858.Muwatta Book 14, 12)

From Nafi’, who narrates from Abdullah ibn ‘Umar (RA): The Prophet (PBUH) said:

“Do not stop the maidservants of Allah from the mosques of Allah.”

(Hadith, Muwatta of Imam Malik, compiled late in the first century of Islam, published in the second)

‘Tamima, the daughter of Salama, narrates that the Mother of the Believers,

“Ayesha (RA) led the women as their imam in Maghrib prayers. She stood in the centre (of the first line) and recited loudly.”

[Darqutni, with reference to the musannaf of Abdur Razzaq, 3:141]

“Hujaira, the daughter of Husaain, narrates: Umm Salama, mother of the believers, led us in Asr prayer and stood in the middle (of the first row).”

[Compiled by Ibn Saad in his Tabaqat, vol.8, p.356. Darqutni has collected this narration from Ibn Abi Shaiba, Abdur Razzaq and Imam Shafi’i.]

Main Traditions:

The three main traditions in favour of women praying at home are as follows. Ibn Hamza says,

“Those who disliked women going to the mosque depend on the saying of A’ishah- “If the Messenger of Allah had seen what the women innovated after him, he would have stopped them attending the mosques.”

The second is a tradition of Umm Humaid that the Prophet (PBUH) said,

“Surely your prayer in your house is better than your prayer with me.”

And the third is the tradition of Abu Hurayrah, who said that the Prophet (PBUH) said,

“For the woman to offer her prayer in her chamber is of greater merit than to offer it in her courtyard, in her courtyard than in the mosque of her people, in the mosque of her people than in the congregational mosque and in the congregational mosque than going out for prayer in Eid day.”

(Pages 179-80)

The above are the three main traditions mentioned by Ibn Hazam in favour of women praying at home. But if we look at Sahih Muslim Chap.167, Vol. 1, pages 240-241, we find that, of the three, only that of A’ishah is mentioned. The other two fail to satisfy the Muslim’s conditions of Sahih. Ibn Hazm will take up this point when he criticises the authenticity of both of them.

But let us first listen to what he had to say about A’ishah’s judgement in this connection. It makes a very interesting reading as it shows great insight on his part. He lived in Spain at a time when Islamic culture was flourishing and when that part of what used to be the Islamic world was making great strides in all aspects of scholarship. His literalistic attitude did not obstruct his rational enlightened attitude in considering the attendance of women at the mosque. He says,

“What A’ishah (RA) says is of no authority for a number of considerations.” and “First: The Prophet (PBUH) did not see what they innovated, so he did not stop them. Anyone stopping them is himself innovating and as such it is wrong to stop them. The error is that it is an argument from a hypothetical case.”

We do not know any argument more silly than that of those who argue that if such-and-such happened, and then such-and-such would follow. That is to make a fact out of something that did not happen.

“Second: Allaah Most High certainly knew what the women would innovate. Anyone who denies that is a disbeliever. He did not at all reveal to His Prophet (PBUH) that he should stop them from what they would innovate. Neither did He reveal to him, “Tell the people that if women make innovations, prevent them from going to the mosques.” Since Allaah Most High did not do so, then clinging to such arguments is wrong and in bad taste.”

(Vol.3, page181)

Men and Women: No Difference

All, as Muslims we reason in the light of preserved traditions; the Qur’an Kareem and the Sunnah, not in the light of ever-changing situations. The facts of the Qur’an are that its message is a universal message without any difference between male and female regarding piety, observance of religious duty and religious obligations.

I have quoted enough traditions of the Prophet (PBUH) and his companions and other authorities to show clearly that women attended the Mosque to the last minute of the life of Allaah’s Messenger without restriction or hindrance. The attitude of the vast majority of the Muslim jurors is not against women’s attendance at the Mosque. What the Qur’an and Sunnah enjoin upon women is a matter of conformity with the Islamic point of view. Women, as a matter of course, are bearers and rearers of children and suffer much physical distress.

“The mosques of Allaah shall be visited and maintained by such belief in Allaah and the Last Day, establish regular prayers, and pay the zakat, and fear none (at all) except Allaah. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance.”

[Al Qur’an: At-Tawba 9: Ayah 18]

The Imams of our Hyde Jamie Mosque see it in a negative way and do not come in terms of what Allaah (SWT) says of Muslim women attending the Mosque without making any difference. Accordingly in our Hyde Jamie Mosque has left no place for women in the Mosque!

Allaah subhanuhu wa ta’la knows the best.