Musjid

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: There is a land of a musjid for cultivation in my village. Some people of our village have no way of going out even through the qabrastaan besides that masjid land. Can that land be exchanged for some other land?

Q: What is the ruling regarding making a second jamaat in the musjid?

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 permissible to move the Imaam's musalla a few saffs back when the crowd is less and move it closer to the mihraab when the crowd is big?

Q:

1. Can one reserve a specific place for someone in the musjid? Will the ruling be different if one reserves a place for a senior person?

2. If one sees a place or has a place reserved for him in the first saff, is it permissible for him to squeeze through the saffs or jump over the shoulders of the musallees to get to that place?

Q: I would like to ask whether it is permissible for me to take my four year daughter to mosque?

Q: I work in the contaminated land and groundwater sector. A question was posed to me "If the land of the musjid is contaminated, is the land deemed to be "un-holy"?

Q: We have an issue at home, we have a property of Musjid shareef (shops and darsgah) on one side of our house. At that time they put windows and part of roof in our land, now we have construct a house and we completed the ground floor and we are constructing the second floor. At the second floor we have maintained the space of 3 feet as per their roof. But they are saying you have not maintained that gap right from ground floor. So suggest us if we will should give them compensation for the land which comes under our house at ground floor (which they are saying that it belongs to them and we are saying it is ours). Please advise us according to Qur'an and Sunnah.

Q: Can announcing the sighting of the new moon in the masaajid be considered a bidah. For the month of Ramadhaan and for both Eids I would think that it is important. But for the other months of the year is just writing on the musjid board not sufficient. Please comment and if possible give reference to practices during the time of our Beloved Nabi (Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam).