QUESTION

Is it a must that there only be one 'Eed prayer in a city? I mean by this question, a typical city in the West has only one Salafee masjid or center, and the Muslims of the city all gather in one place for the 'Eed prayer, a place that usually has booths propagating various jamaa'ahs, and their books and tapes are sold there. The khateeb is not a Salafee, and there are many evils before and after the prayer, like women openly displaying their beauty, picture-taking, and sometimes there may be music in the musallaa after the prayer, and other things. The Salafees want to rid themselves of all of this evil. So if they were to establish another place to pray the 'Eed, so that their 'Eed would be free of such bid'ah and open acts of disobedience, would they be considered splitting up the jamaa'ah by doing this?

ANSWER by Shaykh Rabee' ibn Haadee Al-Madkhalee, well-known scholar and retired professor from the Islaamic University of Al-Madeenah

By Allaah, the Salafees must advise those people, the people of that masjid (those establishing the 'Eed prayer). They must advise them and say to them:

"The gathering of the Muslims must be to learn about good things, to learn about the Religion, to learn about tawheed. It must not be used to learn how to spread evil, false ideologies, or deviant activities.

We do not want to split the unity of the Muslims, and we would like to pray with them, but if you are going to act this way, allowing this evil to have its place, allowing innovation, misguidance, and filthy acts of disobedience, then we are excused (from such a gathering). If we are able, we will establish another place to pray."

That is because this evil is a valid excuse, an excuse for the Muslims to not attend such a gathering. If a Muslim is called to attend and witness some evil gathering, then he has an excuse to keep away. However, if he is capable of changing this evil, then he attends and changes the evil. But if he is not able to change the evil, then he does not attend.

Allaah says [1]:

( And those who do not witness zoor )

Zoor is falsehood. This is from the characteristics of the believers, the worshippers of Ar-Rahmaan, that they do not witness falsehood. So then if there exists what you have mentioned of innovation, disobedience, picture-taking, and other things, then this, by Allaah, is the most severe kind of falsehood.

The 'Eed prayers are not to be combined for these kinds of evil intentions, rather the people are to come together for lofty and noble goals, for teaching the people good things, like 'aqeedah, the halaal and the haraam, etc. They must not come together to teach evil, disobedience, and false beliefs.

So therefore they must advise them, and make clear to them: "You are doing such and such evil things, and we are harmed by these kinds of things, and thus we are not able to cooperate with you in spreading this evil and corruption. So you must either stop this and take the appropriate course according to Islaam or we can not join you. Especially since you are in the West where people are in need of Islaam. The non-Muslims are in need of the proper presentation of Islaam, just as the Muslims are due to their straying, since they too are ignorant about the proper image of Islaam and the correct beliefs and methodology."

If they take this advice, and they are ready to remove these evils, then the praise is for Allaah. But if they continue in their falsehood, then it is upon the Salafees to establish their own musallaa, pray in it, and present the proper image of Islaam, with the correct 'aqeedah and manhaj.

We ask Allaah to unite the Muslims upon the Statement of Truth, upon the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allaah (sallallaahu 'alayhe wa sallam), and to keep them safe from the callers to evil and from the callers to fitnah and their evils. Verily Allaah is the One who hears the supplications.

FOOTNOTES

[1] the meaning of Soorah Al-Furqaan (25):72

SOURCE

This was translated exclusively for www.bakkah.net from a cassette recording with the knowledge and permission of the shaykh, file no. AARM007, dated 1423/9/3.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS