Riyad Us-Saliheen (Gardens of the Righteous)
Chapter 310
Undesirability of Quarrelling or Raising voices in the Mosque
1696. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "If anyone hears a man inquiring in the mosque about something he has lost, he should say: `La raddaha Allahu `alaika (May Allah not restore it to you),' for mosques are not built for this purpose.''
[Muslim]
1697. Abu Hurairah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah said, "When you see someone buying or selling in the mosque, say to him: `La arbaha-Allahu tijarataka (May Allah not make your bargain profitable)!' When you see someone announcing something lost in it, say: `May Allah not restore it to you!'''
[At-Tirmidhi].
1698. Buraidah (May Allah be pleased with him) said: A man announced (the loss of his camel) in the mosque, uttering these words: "Has any one seen my red camel?'' Upon this the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, "May it not be restored to you! The mosques are built for what they are meant to be (i.e., prayer, remembrance of Allah, acquiring knowledge, etc.).''
[Muslim].
1699. `Amr bin Shu`aib on the authority of his grandfather (May Allah be pleased with him) said: The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) prohibited (us) from buying and selling in the mosque; (he also prohibited us from) making announcement in it about something lost and from reciting poems in it.
[Abu Dawud and At-Tirmidhi].
Commentary:
1. Some `Ulama' have stated that the prohibition in the above stated Ahadith is in the nature of aversion and disgust if the acts mentioned in the Hadith do not lead to disturbing those engaged in worship (be it Salat, recitation of the Qur'an or similar good acts) in the mosque. If they do disturb the worshippers, then the prohibition would be absolute.
2. Recitation of such poems is prohibited which relate to love stories and romantic tales. There is no harm in reciting such poems in mosques which relate to the Oneness of Allah, obedience of His Prophet (PBUH), and other subjects meant for the reformation of Muslims.
3. It is permissible to talk about the problems of Muslims and any other issues which are concerned with the welfare of community at large.
4. It is prohibited to hold Qawwali (singing spiritual topics) in mosques because it is accompanied by music and musical instruments. The verses recited in Qawwali are largely based on exaggeration and go beyond the limits prescribed by the Shari`ah. Such things unnecessarily pacify the sentiments of the public and incline them to inaction. It is a pity that many people regard Qawwali permissible, which is sheer ignorance.
1700. As-Sa`ib bin Yazid (May Allah be pleased with him) said: While I was in the mosque, someone threw a pebble at me, and when I looked up, I saw that it was `Umar bin Al-Khattab, who said: "Go and call me these two men.'' I brought them and `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) asked them: "Where are you from?'' On their replying that they belonged to At-Taif, he said: "Had you been the inhabitants of Al-Madinah, I would have given you a beating for raising your voices in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah (PBUH).''
[Al-Bukhari].
Commentary: The action of `Umar (May Allah be pleased with him) mentioned in the Hadith tells us that to speak loudly in the mosque amounts to desecrating it, which is a punishable offense.
2. If one is able of it, he must stop people from acts which amount to denial of Divine injunctions and contravene the Shari`ah.