Can we hold Friday prayers in the m...

Egypt's Dar Al-Ifta

Can we hold Friday prayers in the musalla?

Question

Can we hold Friday prayers in the musalla?

Answer

Every part of the earth that is valid for performing prayer, is a mosque for the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “The earth has been made for me (and for my followers) a place for praying and a thing to perform dry ablution” [recorded by Al-Bukhari].

The masjid [mosque] is a place which has been devoted for prayer. A musalla (area allocated for prayer), on the other hand, is a place where prayers and supplications are made and does not have to be endowed for prayers but could be so among other things.Therefore, every masjid is a musalla but not every musalla is a masjid. The masjid differs from the musalla in the following aspects:

1- The masjid is a place that has been endowed for prayer and therefore cannot be sold or disposed of in any manner. Al-Imam Al-Nawawi said: “When an endowment is made, the ownership of the article belongs to God” [Minhaj Al-Talibeen]. However, a musalla can be sold, or transferred to another place as it may likewise be a rented place.
2- A menstruating woman and a ritually impure person are prohibited from staying in the masjid whereas they are allowed to stay in the musalla. Al-Imam Al-Nawawi said: “What is prohibited in a state of minor impurity (which requires ablution) is definitely prohibited in a state of major impurity (which requires the purificatory bath) i.e. these people are allowed to pass through the masjid, but they are not allowed to remain in it” [Minhaj Al-Talibeen].
And God the Almighty knows best.
 

Share this:

Related Fatwas