al-Masajid Buyut Allah
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- al-Masajid Buyut Allah
al-Masajid Buyut Allah (Mosques Are the Houses of God) is a contemporary treatise on Islamic jurisprudence by Ayman Ismail, dedicated to the legal rulings (ahkam), legal responsibilities, and etiquettes (adab) governing mosques in Islam .
Purpose and Scope
The author states in his introduction that just as the Quran details etiquettes for entering private homes, learning and adhering to the rulings and etiquettes of mosques—as the houses of God on earth—is an obligation of even greater priority . The book compiles legal rulings, scholarly guidelines, and formal legal responsibilities covering all aspects of visiting mosques, including the rules of entering, remaining inside, performing ritual prayer, and exiting . Ismail emphasizes that maintaining mosques through the call to prayer (adhan) and regular congregation reflects the vitality of the Muslim community .
Structure and Contents
The work addresses several major subjects concerning mosques:
- Definition of the Mosque: The text examines the linguistic and legal definitions of masjid, noting that the noun is derived from sujud (prostration), the noblest physical act of prayer . It highlights that the entire earth has been made a place of prostration for the Muslim community, while the term technically designates buildings erected specifically for congregational prayer .
- Virtues and Sanctity: The author discusses the scriptural status of mosques, explaining that their attribution to God in the Quran represents an honorific attribution (idafat tashrif) . It also singles out the specific virtues of the three most sacred sites: al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, the Prophet's Mosque (al-Masjid al-Nabawi) in Medina, and al-Masjid al-Aqsa in Jerusalem .
- Construction and Physical Upkeep: The treatise examines the merit and legal obligation of building and purifying mosques in neighborhoods and residential districts (al-dur), drawing upon prophetic traditions and consensus among scholars regarding their necessity .
- Etiquettes and Prohibitions: The work details activities permitted or forbidden within mosque precincts. In particular, it covers the prohibition of conducting commercial transactions, buying, and selling in mosques, citing textual evidence that mosques are established exclusively for the remembrance of God (dhikr), prayer, and recitation of the Quran .
Method and Sources
Ismail organizes his material around Quranic verses and hadith narrations, providing source citations (takhrij) and verifications for the traditions cited . Throughout the legal discussions, the author frequently quotes classical jurists, hadith commentators, and exegetes, including al-Qadi Iyad, Ibn Daqiq al-Eid, al-Nawawi, al-Qurtubi, and al-Zarkashi, alongside modern authorities such as Ibn Uthaymeen and al-Albani .
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