al-Ajwiba al-Nafia an Asila Lajnat Masjid al-Jamia

al-Ajwiba al-Nafia an Asila Lajnat Masjid al-Jamia (Beneficial Answers to the Questions of the University Mosque Committee) is a legal and hadith treatise by the modern hadith scholar Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE) addressing legal and ritual inquiries regarding the Friday prayer, the call to prayer, and mosque practices Thabat Muallafat al-Alban…+1.

Origin and Context of Composition

The work originated in response to a set of written questions posed by the administrative committee of the university mosque at the University of Damascus (formerly the Syrian University), situated within the Hamidiyyah Barracks in Damascus Majallat al-Bayan+1. The university mosque had previously been converted into a bar and later a warehouse during the French mandate before being restored by a group of students and scholars, including Muhammad Lutfi al-Sabbagh Majallat al-Bayan. The formed committee organized educational programs and consulted religious scholars on matters concerning Prophetic Sunnah and religious innovations, prompting al-Albani to compile detailed answers to their inquiries Majallat al-Bayan.

Contents and Core Themes

The book centers on the jurisprudence and history of the Friday prayer (Salat al-Jumu'ah) and related mosque traditions, addressing several core issues:

• The Friday Adhan and the Practice of Uthman: The book examines the additional Friday call to prayer introduced during the caliphate of Uthman ibn Affan Jami Turath al-Allama al-…+1. Al-Albani argues that Uthman instituted the additional adhan at the marketplace of al-Zawra due to the expansion of Medina and the distance of dwellings, to notify people before the prayer time; where that justification does not exist—such as when multiple mosques exist or when loudspeakers and modern broadcasting convey the call across distances—the community should restrict itself to the single Prophetic adhan delivered when the preacher ascends the pulpit (minbar) Jami Turath al-Allama al-…+2.
• The Location and Form of the Adhan: Al-Albani demonstrates that the Prophetic adhan was delivered outside the mosque at the door, whereas Uthman's additional adhan took place at al-Zawra al-Ajwiba al-Nafia an Asi…. He critiques delivering the adhan inside the mosque directly before the preacher in front of the minbar, identifying it as an Umayyad innovation introduced during the reign of Hisham ibn Abd al-Malik al-Ajwiba al-Nafia an Asi….
• The Timing and Pre-Friday Prayers (Sunnah Qabliyyah): The text investigates the permissible timing of the Friday prayer, affirming that it may occur immediately after the sun's decline (zawal) or before it, consistent with the narration of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and early reports Irwa al-Ghalil fi Takhrij…+1. He asserts that a specifically designated pre-Friday regular Sunnah prayer (sunnah qabliyyah) between the two adhans has no basis in the Prophetic Sunnah or early practice, though general unrestricted voluntary prayer (nafl mutlaq) prior to the adhan is recommended Jami Turath al-Allama al-….
• Mosque Architecture and Innovations: Al-Albani also discusses additional mosque practices, including rulings concerning recessed prayer niches (mihrabs) and restricting the pulpit to three steps in accordance with the Prophetic model Jami Turath al-Allama al-…+1.

Method and Editions

Al-Albani employs a text-critical methodology, analyzing hadith transmissions, variant wordings, and the evaluations of early scholars such as al-Shafi'i, al-Shatibi, and Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani al-Ajwiba al-Nafia an Asi…+2.

The work has been printed in several editions, notably by al-Maktab al-Islami in Beirut (including a second and third printing in 1400 AH / 1980 CE) and by Maktabat al-Maarif in Riyadh (1420 AH / 2000 CE) al-A'yad wa Atharuha ala …+2.