Etiquettes of the Musjid

Q: I want to ask about playing football outside the mosque and hitting the football on mosque walls, is this allowed and can you relate me an authentic hadeeth or Quranic verse?

Q: The following appears in an article on the Website of the Jamiat. Is all of this correct?

Tolerating Natural Toddler Antics

Babies grow older to become active and energetic toddlers (known nowadays as ‘preschoolers’), who love climbing on to the laps and backs of adults and playing “rough house”. It is well known that the Prophet not just allowed children in this age-range inside his masjid during obligatory congregational prayers, but also patiently tolerated their antics during prayers, even if these antics caused noise or disturbance.

Reported by Abdullah ibn Shaddad from his father: “The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) came out to lead us in either maghrib or ‘isha’ one night, and he was carrying Hassan or Husain. The Messenger of Allah came forward and put (the child) down, then he said takbir and started to pray. During the prayer, he prostrated and made his prostration long. My father said: “I raised my head and I saw the child on the back of the Messenger of Allah whilst he was prostrating, so I returned to my prostration.”  When the Messenger of Allah finished praying, the people said: “O Messenger of Allah, during your prayer you prostrated for so long that we thought something had happened or that you were receiving Revelation.” He said: Nothing at all happened, but my son was riding on my back and I did not want to disturb him until he had had enough. (An-Nisa’i)

This hadith is another great example of how tolerant the Prophet was regarding children’s naughtiness. Imagine a small child in the age-range 2-4 (who can be carried easily) climbing on to the back of a masjid’s imam during prostration nowadays. What do you think his reaction would be? Yet, Prophet Muhammad lengthened his prostration just to let the child continue his enjoyment and innocent play, hereby causing some concern and undoubtedly a bit of chagrin to the worshippers praying behind him in the congregation.

Q: Can pupils recite their wazaaif (morning and evening duas) loudly in the musjid? Or will it be against the respect of the musjid?

Q: Is it allowed in a Musjid for someone to recite loudly a naat or nazam and people to start screaming and chanting. The screaming is literally shouting and people going into a trance. The screaming is not praises to Allah or his Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam) but really shouting. The reciter also encourages such screaming. Is this practise allowed to take place in a masjid?

Q: On Jumuah day at the masjid where the brothers pray a minority pray and their awrah is exposed in sajdah. I messaged the management of the masjid to encourage a khutbah about the important of taking caution to this, but no response. If I see a brothers awrah become exposed what do I tell him?

Q: When should I say the dua for entering the masjid ("Allahoma-ftah lee abwaba Rahmatik"): when entering the entering hall containing the shoe racks etc, or when entering the actual prayer area?

Q: I sat in i'tikaaf this year alhumdulillah. But my question is approximately every 15-20 minutes I needed to past wind (due to digestive problems). It was very hard for me to pray taraweeh and the other salaahs but Alhumdulillah I managed. So will I get sin for passing wind in masjid?

Q: In many Masjids we see a kitab being read, mostly immediately after Fajr entitled 5 Minutes Madrassah. Prior to the reading of this kitab it was noted that ample time was given to complete masnoon Tasbihat. Now that reading of the kitab has commenced, what happens is that a person
reciting Ayatul Kursi, Subhanallah 33 times, Alhumdulillah 33 times and Allahuakbar 34 times only gets half or three quarters of the way through just these mamoolats and Ijtimai congregational Du'a on the microphone starts, which is also shortened and then reading of the kitab on the microphone then commences. The questions therefore are as follows:

1. Is it permissible to shorten and therefore interrupt the musallis individual Tasbihat so that Ijtimai Du'a and kitab reading on the microphone can all be fitted in?

2. What should an individual do in this situation. Should he continue with his mamoolats whilst Ahadith, Qur'an ayats from the kitab are being read by the Imam over the microphone or should he cut short his recitations and/or his own individual Du'a and listen to what is being read?

3. Is it permissible for the Imam to disturb the Masbooq by conducting congregational Ijtimai Du'a and kitab reading on the microphone on the basis that it is for the greater good?

Q: In our Masjid, Mashwarah is undertaken regarding annual get together for food. The objective being how we can connect youngsters to the Masjid and an effort of Deen. In this Mashwarah, we decide where the meal or braai will be held, who will bring what food, how many people will be invited and what time the braai will be? Bearing in mind this objective, is it permissible for us to conduct this particular Mashwarah in the Masjid?

Q: Is it permissible to place advertisements on the outside wall of a musjid, house for sale etc?