Implications Of Mosques And Markets In Light Of Hadith

Human by nature is made free to choose between the right and the wrong. There is enough understanding of the difference between correct and incorrect kept in one`s mind and heart by Allah SWT. Besides religion, cultural norms and social gatherings also play a key role in shaping an individual`s personality resulting in adaptation to such social set ups. The concept of positive and negative energy places also point towards this very theme of subject that is under consideration. The former refers to such physical presence in which a person feels good about itself because of its inner voice such as the religious places of worship and sitting among the family members etc. On the other hand, the latter concept talks about situation wherein someone senses bad about it and is inclined to do wrong such as places of gambling and drinking alcohol and so on.

The Messenger ﷺ of the Almighty Lord is reported to have said:

“The dearest parts on the face of the earth near Allah are its mosques, and the most hated parts near Allah are its markets.” (Muslim)

The above mentioned Hadith also states concerning the consequences of the positive and negative energy places, which are masjids (mosques) and bazaars correspondingly in this case. The Holy Prophet ﷺ tells us that the place on the surface of the earth that the Creator of the universe likes the most is the House of Allah, i.e. the Holy Mosque where Muslims offer Salah (Prayer) five times every day. And the most despised location in this world near the Exalted One is marketplace which people visit to buy the consumption goods.

Now let us explain the greater implications of this instruction of the Apostle ﷺ of God in detail so as to know about the true worth of these locales in an individual`s life:

Benefits Of Going To Mosques

Mosque is sacred place in Muslim`s life which is meant for adoration and supplicating to Allah SWT. During early days of spreading of Islam in Makkah, the believers had no liberty to pray openly, thus they were restricted to offer Salah (which although at that point in time was made compulsory to offer) in private. There was no concept of masjid at that time. At the occasion of Hijrah (Migration) from towards Madina, Rasulullah ﷺ made the very first mosque in Muslim history, i.e Masjid e Quba at a place named Quba situated at a little distance from the city of Madina. After entering Madina, He (PBUH) laid a foundation of Masjid e Nabawi (the Holy Mosque of the Prophet PBUH) where Muslims used to pray five times a day. The Most Merciful says in the Holy Quran:

“And from wherever you go out [for prayer], turn your face toward al-Masjid al-Haram. And wherever you [believers] may be, turn your faces toward it in order that the people will not have any argument against you, except for those of them who commit wrong; so fear them not but fear Me. And [it is] so I may complete My favor upon you and that you may be guided.”

The House of Allah SWT holds a great distinction in all the worships included in Islam. It serves as a place wherefrom the believers get a chance to meet with their Almighty Lord and supplicate to Him for His Mercy and Blessings. It can be seen from this verse that Muslims have to turn their faces towards Kaaba Shareef, hence the faces of all the mosques in the world turn towards Qibla direction.

Some of the great advantages of visiting the Sacred setting of Masjid are given below:

– Nearness To Allah SWT: During Namaz, and especially in the state of Sajdah (Prostration), a believer is ever close to the Almighty Lord.

“No! Do not obey him. But prostrate and draw near [to Allah].” [Quran, 96: 19]

– High Rewards For Praying in Congregation: Masjid is the place where Muslims pray collectively to Allah SWT. The Holy Prophet ﷺ gave glad tidings of great rewards for those offering Salah in congregation in the following words:

“Prayer in congregation is superior to prayer alone by twenty seven degrees.” (Bukhari)

– Grant Of Paradise For Morning And Evening Visit to Mosque: Prayingin Masjid in the early morning time and in the evening when a person is really tired after work is very difficult task to do. Visiting mosques in these moments of the day has been regarded as the source of attaining Jannah by Rasulullah ﷺ:

“He who goes to the mosque in the morning or in the evening, Allah prepares for him a place in Jannah whenever he goes to the mosque in the morning and returns from it in the evening.” (Bukhari)

– Reward For every Step Taken Towards Mosque: The Messenger ﷺ of Allah SWT has been narrated by Abu Hurrairah (R.A) to have said:

“He who purifies (performs Wudu’) himself in his house and then walks to one of the houses of Allah (mosque) for performing an obligatory Salat, one step of his will wipe out his sins and another step will elevate his rank (in Jannah).” (Muslim)

These are some of the benefits that describe the positive effects of entering and worshiping Allah SWT in the mosque.

Disadvantages of Visiting Markets

Considering the Hadith of the Holy Prophet ﷺ in which He (PBUH) has regarded bazaars as the detested location on earth as compared to the mosques. It is not that one should not visit the marketplace at all; rather it conveys a greater message of not to forget the worship of Allah SWT while being in these sites and also to avoid indulging in dealing unfairly with other people. Some of the probable drawbacks of going to malls and shopping places are:

1. Forgetfulness about Allah SWT: While a person is in marketplace, more often it happens to be that it leads to skipping Salah.
2. Lying and Acting Unjustly: Those who put up their goods for sale in bazaars are highly advised to keep honesty in commerce with their customers. Unfortunately, most of the times people are cheated by pricing the merchandise way up the normal cost. Due to such irregularities, markets are the worst place on earth and detested by the Almighty Lord.
3. Fulfilling unnecessary Wants and Desires: Wandering around shopping centers, majority of individuals who possess a lot of wealth, go on to buy needless commodities based on their wishes. It means that markets eventually lead to spending gratuitously, which causes affection for materialism and greediness.
4. Waste of Time: Some people call it “Hanging Out” by just walking around in the malls without any cause. Such acts are plain waste of time which one could utilize in any other productive effort like praying to God, visiting relatives and helping others etc.

These are some of the disadvantages of dealing in the marketplace, being there for no reason or for unneeded period of time.

In short, mosque is a highly consecrated place in this world, which gives a Muslim an opportunity to gain a lot of blessings of Allah SWT. On the other hand, market is a site where love for this temporary life becomes stronger and causes one to forget its true purpose of existence.