Since the mosque was the nucleus of the Muslim life and activities, a code of ethics for establishing and using it had to be created under the guardianship of Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and divine revelation, lest some people start misusing it, intentionally or otherwise, or start developing a code of moral principles on their own which, as a rule, would have been dictated by the norms of the jahiliyyah era.

However, as the religion of Islam was revealed to the Prophet (pbuh) gradually and in stages, through instructions, responses and answers to various dilemmas and developments confronting the nascent Muslim community, so that the heart of the Prophet (pbuh) and the hearts of his followers could be calmed, strengthened and galvanized, likewise the introducing and fully activating of the phenomenon of the mosque, the ground for the implementation of many a regulation and teaching of Islam, could not be an exception to the rule of gradual revelation and application of Islam.

Such was a gradual process too, certainly no less painstakingly undertaken than the other aspects of Islam and its civilizational mission. While subjecting the evolution of the mosque to the golden principles of gradation and educational transformation, the Prophet (pbuh) proved to be very sensitive and responsive to the needs and capacities of the young but fast expanding Muslim community. In so doing, he was not hasty, impatient or autocratic. Rather, he was prudent, compassionate, resourceful and farsighted. He was the greatest teacher, pedagogue, reformer and psychologist. Definitely, the code of conduct for establishing and using mosques which was constructed by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) under the aegis of revelation is universal and timeless, applying to every time and space, as it is the case with the whole corpus of Islamic beliefs, values and principles.

The following are some examples of the general and enduring code of ethics for the optimizing of establishing and using mosques, based on a blueprint provided by the Qur’an and the Prophet’s sunnah, and whose ethos and credence were valid and in force not only during the Prophet’s time and immediately afterwards, but also in every subsequent age and generation, including ours:

• Mosques are to be kept clean and tidy, for cleanliness is part of faith (iman). In and around every mosque, there must be enough facilities and resources meant for the purpose. The Prophet’s mosques had water jugs, both inside and outside, which were regularly supplied with water for the cleanliness of the mosque and also the people. Some water wells near the mosque served the same objective. Mosques are to be perfumed, especially during some special occasions, such as Friday Jumu’ah prayers. The Prophet (pbuh) said that the rewards of his people had been presented before him, so much so that even the reward for removing a mote by a person from the mosque was presented to him. (1) At the beginning, however, some people were not cleanliness-conscious and they needed some time to develop certain manners. They were most likely of those who have freshly entered the fold of the new religion.

Among other things, they had a habit of spitting phlegm inside the mosque without doing away with it afterwards, or covering it up. The Prophet (pbuh) disliked the habit very much. Nevertheless, the habit needed to be overcome gradually and with a great deal of wisdom and goodly counsel. The Prophet (pbuh) thus advised such as were prone to doing this that phlegm be scraped off and the place dirtied to be overlaid with saffron (za’faran) or anything pleasant and fragrant. The Prophet (pbuh) himself on a couple of occasions scraped off some people’s spits after having seen that they had been left behind. He would likewise shower with praises those who did the same. (2)  Towards this end is a hadith or a tradition wherein the Prophet (pbuh) has said that whoever does away with a disturbance from the mosque, Allah will build a house for him in Paradise (Jannah). (3)  During the Prophet’s era, an Abyssinian (Ethiopian) woman later took up the chore of looking after the cleanliness of the Prophet’s mosque (some believe it was a man).

So high a regard did the Prophet (pbuh) have for her that he told her one day that a double portion of reward awaits her. When she died, some people treated her affairs as of little account and buried her without informing the Prophet (pbuh). Nonetheless, on discovering that she was missing, the Prophet (pbuh) asked concerning her. When told what had happened, he replied that they should have informed him. Then, he asked to be shown her grave where he prayed for her. (4)  As a small digression, prior to the Hijrah (migration), Madinah is said to have been a dirty place, which the migrants from Makkah could hardly come to terms with. Thus, the Prophet (pbuh) ordered that the city be cleaned and its dirt and filth removed. A’ishah, the Prophet’s wife, said: “We came to Madinah and it was the most polluted land of Allah. The water there was stinking”. In order that the rigorous Islamic cleanliness requirements could be duly met, the Prophet (pbuh) also asked his companions to dig wells in different parts of the city. It is reported that more than 50 wells were opened in the city of Madinah and there was enough clean water for everyone. (5)

• The Prophet (pbuh) said that no admittance to the mosque was allowed for those who have eaten beforehand of either of the two: garlic and onion. (6) The hadith message, however, comprises not only these two vegetable plants, because of their strong smell and flavor, but also everything else, eaten or worn, the smell of which may in one way or another disturb the people. Towards this end are the Prophet’s words: “Were it not hard on my ummah (community), I would order them to use the tooth-stick (to brush teeth) at the time of every prayer.” (7)

By: Dr. Spahic Omer is an Associate Professor –

Kulliyyah of Architecture and Environmental Design

International Islamic University Malaysia

End of Part-I

Also Check Part II

Dr. Spahic can be reached via email at:

spahico@yahoo.com

Posted on: August 22, 2011

1- Abu Dawud, Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Salah, Hadith No. 461.

2- Al-Samahudi, Wafa’ al-Wafa, (Beirut: Dar Ihya’ al-Turath al-‘Arabi, 1997), vol. 2, p. 656-661. Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Salah, Hadith No. 390.

3- Ibn Majah, Sunan Ibn Majah, Kitab al-Masajid wa al-Jama’at, Hadith No. 749.

4- Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Salah, Hadith No. 438.

5- Spahic Omer, The Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) and Urbanization of Madinah, (Kuala Lumpur: International Islamic University Malaysia, 2005), p. 149.

6- Al-Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Salah, Kitab al-Salah, Hadith No. 814.

7- Abu Dawud, Sunan Abi Dawud, Kitab al-Taharah, Hadith No. 47.