Virtue and Rules of Tahiyyat al-Masjid Prayer

Understanding the Virtue and Rules of Tahiyyat al-Masjid Prayer

Definition and Ruling of Tahiyyat al-Masjid

Tahiyyat al-Masjid is a two-unit prayer that a person performs when entering the mosque. It is unanimously agreed upon by scholars as a Sunnah for every person who enters the mosque. (Fath al-Bari: 2/407)

Exemptions from Tahiyyat al-Masjid

The Imam delivering the Friday sermon is exempt from Tahiyyat al-Masjid. When he enters the mosque for the Friday sermon, he will not perform the two rak’ahs of Tahiyyat al-Masjid. Similarly, the mosque’s caretaker is exempt because of the frequent coming and going to the mosque, and performing these two rak’ahs repeatedly would cause difficulty. Also, a person who enters the mosque when the Imam is performing the obligatory prayer or the prayer has already started is exempt because the presence of the obligatory prayer removes the need for Tahiyyat al-Masjid. (Subul al-Salam: 1/320)

Some scholars say that it is recommended to repeat Tahiyyat al-Masjid whenever a person enters the mosque. This view is held by Imam Nawawi and also by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, and it is also the apparent view of the Hanbali scholars. (Al-Majmu: 4/57)

Imam al-Shawkani states that according to the apparent meaning of the Hadith, Tahiyyat al-Masjid is recommended, even if one frequently enters the mosque. (Nail al-Awtar: 3/70)

Wisdom Behind Tahiyyat al-Masjid

Performing Tahiyyat al-Masjid instills respect for the mosque in the heart, similar to how a person greets the homeowner when visiting someone’s house. Imam Nawawi states that some scholars have considered Tahiyyat al-Masjid to be a greeting to the Lord of the mosque because the aim is to gain closeness to Allah, not to the mosque itself. It is like when someone enters the palace of a king, they greet the king, not the palace.
[Hashiyah Ibn Qasim: 2/252]

Issues Related to Tahiyyat al-Masjid

1. Tahiyyat al-Masjid is recommended at all times because it is a prayer associated with a cause. Whenever you enter the mosque, you should perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid. This is the view of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. [Al-Fatawa L-Ibn Taymiyyah] and also the opinion of Shaykh Salih al-Uthaymin and Shaykh Ibn Baz. (Al-Sharh al-Mumti’ L-Ibn Uthaymin: 4/179, Fatawa Mühimmatan Tata’allaq Bi’l-Salah L-Ibn Baz)
   
2. Tahiyyat al-Masjid should be performed before sitting down in the mosque. If a person deliberately sits down, then the prayer becomes invalid for him, as the time for performing it has passed.
   
3. If a person sits down due to ignorance or forgetfulness, it is permissible for him to get up and perform two rak’ahs of Tahiyyat al-Masjid, because he is excused. However, this is allowed only if the time for sitting has not passed too long. (Fath al-Bari: 2/408)
   
4. Tahiyyat al-Masjid is a Sunnah, not an obligation, as some people believe. Imam Nawawi has transmitted the consensus on its status as a Sunnah. (Nail al-Awtar: 3/68)
   
5. If a person enters the mosque while the muezzin is giving the call to prayer, it is better to first respond to the call of the muezzin and then perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid, so as to earn the reward for responding to the adhan. However, on Fridays, if the adhan for the khutbah is being given, it is better to perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid instead of answering the adhan, as listening to the Friday sermon is more important. (Al-Insaf: 1/427)
   
6. When a person enters the mosque and the Imam is delivering the Friday sermon, it is Sunnah to perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid, and it is disliked to leave it. [Fatawa L-Ibn Taymiyyah: 23/219]; because it is proven from the Hadith: “He should not sit until he prays two rak’ahs.” (Bukhari, Muslim) In another hadith: “He should pray two light rak’ahs and make them brief.” (Bukhari, Muslim) If the Imam is in the final part of the sermon and there is a reasonable assumption that performing Tahiyyat al-Masjid will prevent one from catching the beginning of the obligatory prayer, then one should stand until the prayer begins, without sitting, so that the obligatory prayer becomes sufficient in place of Tahiyyat al-Masjid.
   
7. For the Haram Mosque, most scholars consider the act of Tawaf as its Tahiyyat. Imam Nawawi says: “The Tahiyyat of the Haram Mosque is Tawaf for the person who is arriving, whereas for those who reside there, the ruling of the Haram Mosque is the same as that of other mosques.” (Fath al-Bari: 2/412) “For someone who does not intend to perform Tawaf, the ruling is that of Tahiyyat al-Masjid, but for someone intending to perform Tawaf, it will suffice in place of the two rak’ahs of Tahiyyat al-Masjid.” And this is the correct view. (Hashiyah Ibn Qasim: 2/487)
   
8. The Sunnah prayers before the obligatory prayers will suffice as Tahiyyat al-Masjid, because the purpose of Tahiyyat al-Masjid is to perform prayer immediately upon entering the mosque, and fulfilling the Sunnah prayers accomplishes this. If a person intends to perform the Sunnah prayers along with Tahiyyat al-Masjid, both can be fulfilled. Imam Nawawi transmitted this without any disagreement. (Kashaf al-Qina: 1/423)
   
9.  Tahiyyat al-Masjid cannot be fulfilled by performing one rak’ah, the funeral prayer, or the prostration of forgetfulness (Sujood al-Sahw) or gratitude (Sujood al-Shukr). (Kashaf al-Qina)
10. If the Imam of the mosque wishes to combine Tahiyyat al-Masjid with the obligatory prayer due to the time for the obligatory prayer being due, this will be sufficient. [Subul al-Salam: 1/329] “It is narrated from Jabir that Bilal used to call the adhan after the sun had passed its zenith, and he would not call the iqama until he saw the Prophet ﷺ. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ left his house, Bilal would call the iqama.” (Muslim) If the Imam enters with the intention of sitting, then Tahiyyat al-Masjid is also recommended for him, based on the generality of the Hadith. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
11. “When one of you enters the mosque, let him not sit until he has prayed two rak’ahs.” (Bukhari, Muslim)
    In the desert, there is no Tahiyyat al-Masjid. [Al-Fawakih al-Adidiyah: 1/99] Except in a mosque situated on the road where you are praying, in which case Tahiyyat al-Masjid would be performed. If the person intends both the obligatory prayer and Tahiyyat al-Masjid simultaneously, it will suffice for both.

12. It is not recommended for the Imam to perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid before the Friday prayer or the Eid prayer. Instead, he will begin with the sermon on Friday and the Eid prayer on the day of Eid, as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ did. However, for the follower (Muqtadi), it is recommended to perform Tahiyyat al-Masjid before sitting down. If the Eid prayer is held outside the mosque, then performing Tahiyyat al-Masjid is not required. As the hadith mentions, “We were commanded to bring out the young women and the menstruating women to attend the Eid prayers, to witness the goodness and the supplication of the Muslims, but menstruating women were instructed to stay away from the prayer area.” (Bukhari, Muslim) This is the view of Imam Shafi’i and the opinion chosen by Shaykh Salih al-Uthaymin.
13. (If a person has already performed the obligatory prayer and then arrives at a mosque where the obligatory prayer is being performed, it is recommended for him to join that prayer. As it is established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ:
    “If you have prayed in your homes and then come to a mosque where there is a congregational prayer, pray with them, for it will be a voluntary prayer for you.” (Narrated by Tirmidhi)