Mosques Built On Sectarian Lines Are Not Approved By The Quran
Mosque Built
By Hypocrites Is Mentioned In The Quran
Main
Points:
1. Quran does
not approve of mosques built on sectarian lines.
2. Mosques
should not be used for discussing sectarian issues.
3. Preachers
should discuss only Islamic issues before Friday prayers.
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By
New Age Islam Staff Writer
4 December
2021
Mosque of Virgin Mary in Tartus plays
on ‘sectarian nerve’/ Syria Direct
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Today sectarian differences among Muslims
have come to such a passé that now mosques are built on sectarian basis. Every
sect of Muslims has their own mosque in which members of other sects are not
allowed as the members of other sects are believed to be kafirs and
hypocrites. Many mosques have
notice-boards put up outside them warning members of other sects against
entering them though the followers of all the sects offer prayers in the same
way. There is no difference in the prayers. The differences are only on some
superficial issues that do not form the basis of Islamic faith.
Still the mosques have been made the
centres of sectarian difference which the Quran condemns.
The Quran strongly condemns sectarian
differences in some verses and so mosques built on sectarian beliefs are not
approved by the Quran. There is a verse in the Quran on mosques based on
sectarian lines.
There are also those ˹hypocrites˺
who set up a mosque ˹only˺ to cause harm, promote disbelief, divide the believers, and as a base
for those who had previously fought against Allah and His Messenger.1 They will
definitely swear, “We intended nothing but good,” but Allah bears witness that
they are surely liars.
Do not ˹O Prophet˺
ever pray in it. Certainly, a mosque founded on righteousness from the first
day is more worthy of your prayers. In it are men who love to be purified.1 And
Allah loves those who purify themselves. Which is better: those who laid the
foundation of their building on the fear and pleasure of Allah, or those who
did so on the edge of a crumbling cliff that tumbled down with them into the
Fire of Hell? And Allah does not guide the wrongdoing people.
The building which they erected will never
cease to fuel hypocrisy in their hearts until their hearts are torn apart. And
Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.(Tawbah:107-110)
During the life of the prophet pbuh, the
hypocrites had built a mosque near the first mosque of Islam Masjid Qoba to
create division and disunity among the Muslims. The mosque is called Masjid
Zarar. The hypocrites invited the
prophet pbuh to offer prayer in the mosque so that it gets approval of the
prophet pbuh. But the archangel Gabriel informed the prophet pbuh of the plans
of the hypocrites and the prophet pbuh did not offer prayer in the mosque.
Later the mosque was demolished.
Therefore, this incident serves as an
example for future generations when similar mosques built with the purpose of
dividing the Muslims will come into existence. Such mosques will always remain
a centre of differences and divisions among the Muslims.
Mosques are meant for worship of God. In
the mosques, only the name of God is remembered and no other matter is
discussed there. Sectarian differences or ideological differences are not
allowed to be discussed in mosques. So restricting the entry of other sects in
a mosque is against the spirit of the Quran. It is seen that the preachers and
imams of such mosques discuss sectarian issues and foment sectarian differences
among the Muslims. This is also un-Islamic. Muslims should take a lesson from
the mosque of the hypocrites built during the prophet’s life which is condemned
by the Quran. Mosques should not be made the centers of sectarian differences.
During the life of the holy prophet pbuh,
mosques served as the centres of Islamic life. They were not only places of
worship but also centres of learning and all the religious issues were
discussed there. The holy prophet pbuh used to make all the important
announcements from the pulpit of the mosque and used the pulpit of the mosque
for the moral, spiritual and intellectual development of the Muslims. Mosques
also served as maktab where people learned to read and write from the educated
Muslims.
However, today mosques have become centres
of sectarian practices. Imams and preachers make lectures that are mostly based
on sectarian beliefs and bias. Some preachers use inflammatory remarks against
other sects which fuel sectarian hatred among the Muslims.
In European countries mosques are used by
preachers associated with the extremist groups for promoting religious and
sectarian hatred. Salafist and Wahhabi preachers trained and educated in the
Gulf states are strategically posted there for promoting their extremist
ideology that spreads hatred against non-Muslims and against the People of the
Book. These preachers also promote rebellion against the European governments
that provided citizenship and religious rights to the emigrant Muslims. They
declare the European governments the enemies of Islam and Muslims which is
against the principles of the Quran as it preaches peaceful living with the
community with which Muslims have some kind of treaty.
Due to all this, mosques have lost their
purpose and significance in the Muslim society. Some European countries have
begun to see mosques with suspicion due to extremist preachers and have imposed
restrictions on their construction. The French government has closed hundreds
of mosques and has conducted inquiry into the affairs of mosques in the
country.
Today, mosques are not used for pure Islamic
purposes and for the moral, spiritual and intellectual development of the
Muslims. They are mainly used for offering Friday prayers. Only a handful of
Muslims offer five time prayers and so the functioning of mosques goes in the
hand of a few people who are not aware of the true teachings of Islam and
importance of mosques. They are only used for promoting a particular sectarian
ideology and so in some places fights between the followers of opposing sects
occur in the mosques for its control.
Thanks to all this, the general Muslims are
also not aware of the place of mosques in an Islamic society. They have also
accepted the fact that mosques are based on sectarian beliefs as the preachers
and imams openly preach sectarian beliefs.
Mosques can reclaim their lost glory only
when they are cleaned from sectarian bias and all the members of sects consider
it a place for Islamic worship and a centre of Islamic life. Sectarian
differences have nothing to do with mosques as the prayers of all the sects are
the same.
Mosques should be made centres of learning
Islamic teachings. The committees of mosques should comprise educated people
from the Muslim society who possess deep knowledge of the Quran and hadith and
understand the Islamic principles of liberal thinking. Today mosques are
spacious and grand with high minarets but very few people visit mosques for
regular prayers. Crores or rupees are spent on the construction of huge mosques
with decorated minarets but the true message of Islam is not spread from there.
What is preached and spread is sectarian hatred by the preachers of most of the
mosques. This needs to be stopped if the mosques are to be made of centres of
Islamic life and learning.
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-sectarianism/mosque-sectarian-quran/d/125897
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