4. What supplication you should say while you are walking to the masjid for prayer.

When you walk to the masjid, it is recommended for you to say what the Prophet (saw) said when he would go out for prayer. Ibn Abbas (ra) related that the Prophet (saw) went out for prayer, and he was saying:” O Allah, place within my heart light, and upon my tongue light, and within my ears light, and within my eyes light, and place behind me light and in front of me light and above me light, and beneath me light. O Allah, increase for me light.”

5. Supplication for entering and leaving the masjid

When you enter the masjid, it is recommended for you to say:” O Allah, send prayers and salutations upon Muhammad and upon the followers of Muhammad. O Allah, open the gates of Your Mercy for me.” And when you leave the masjid, you should say:” O Allah, send prayers and salutations upon Muhammad and upon the followers of Muhammad. I ask You from Your favour.”

6. It is recommended to lead with your right foot upon entering the masjid, and to lead with your left foot upon leaving

When you enter the masjid, you should lead with your right foot, primarily because doing so is the sunnah of the Prophet (saw), and also because the masjid is the most honourable of places; hence you should lead with your honourable side, the right side, when entering it. When you leave the masjid, exit with your left foot first, mainly because doing so is sunnah of the Prophet (saw), and because all places outside of the masjid are lower than it in honour, so in going from the more honourable to the less honourable place, you should lead with your less honourable side, the left side.

The general principle in this issue is taken from the hadith of Aishah (ra), in which she said:” The Prophet (saw) likes Al-Tayamun (using the right side or beginning something with the right side) in putting on his sandals, in combing his hair, in purifying himself, and in all of his affairs.” (Bukhari)

7. It is recommended to perform tahiyyatul masjid when you enter the masjid

When you enter the masjid, you should first perform wo units of prayer, which are called Tahiyyatul Masjid (which literally means greeting the masjid). Although tahiyyatul masjid is not compulsory to perform, it is nonetheless a stressed Sunnah. Abu Qatadah As-Sulami (ra) related that the Messenger of Allah (swt) said:” When one of you enters the masjid, then let him perform two raka’ahs (units) before he sits down.” (Bukhari)

The Prophet’s command indicates that tahiyyatul masjid is obligatory, but when this hadith is combined with the meaning of other narrations, tahiyyatul masjid is reduced from the level of obligatory to the level of recommended. One of those narrations is related by Talhah Ibn Ubaidullah (ra). He said:” A man came to the Messenger of Allah (saw) from the people of Najd; his hair was ruffled, his voice roared, and what he said was unintelligible. Then he came near and asked about Islam. The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:” Five prayers in the day and night.” The man said:” Is there anything else upon me?” He (saw) said:” No, unless you do something else voluntarily,” Then at the end of the hadith, Talhah (ra) said:” As the man turned to leave, he said:” By Allah, I will neither do more nor less than this.” The Messenger of Allah (saw) said:” He will achieve success if he is true to his word.” (Bukhari)

Although the two units of tahiyyatul masjid are not compulsory, the people of iman should always perform them, for there is much good and virtue in them.

8. The virtues of sitting in the masjid

The Prophet (saw) said:” Then when he enters the masjid, he is in the state of prayer as long as it is the only thing keeping him from leaving. And the Angels send prayers upon one of you as long as he is in the seat that he prayed in; they say:’ O Allah, have mercy on him; O Allah, forgive him; O Allah, accept his repentance, as long as he does not harm anyone (with speech or deed) while he is in it, and as long as he does not nullify his state of purity.” (Bukhari)

From Allah’s vast mercy to His slaves, He (swt) gives them a reward similar to the person who is praying, just for sitting in the masjid and waiting for next congregational prayer; furthermore, He (swt) makes His angels supplicate for them.

(To be continued)

 (Prepared by Abdul Muhaemin Karim)