Is it permissible to pray inHijr Ismaa'eel and what are the virtues thereof?.
Praise be to Allaah.
Firstly:
We have previously explained that it is a mistake to call al-Hijr
"HijrIsmaa'eel", because this Hijr only became a Hijr a long time
after the time of Ismaa'eel (peace be upon him). The correct form is
to call it al-Hijr only, without attributing it to anyone.
See question number 22004 .
Secondly:
The Hijr is part of the Ka'bah, so whoever prays in it has prayed in
the Ka'bah, and praying in theKa'bah is permissible withregard to
naafil prayers only, as the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be
upon him) did. Al-Bukhaari (505) and Muslim (1329) narrated from
'Abd-Allah ibn 'Umar that the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace
of Allah be upon him) entered the Ka'bah, accompanied by Usaamah,
Bilaal and 'Uthmaan ibn Talhah al-Hajabi. He closed the door and
remained inside.Ibn 'Umar said: I asked Bilaal when he came out: What
did the Messenger of Allaah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
do? He said: He put two pillars on his left, onepillar on his right,
and three pillars behind him – and at that time the House was built on
six pillars – then he prayed.
Abu Dawood (2028), al-Tirmidhi (876) and al-Nasaa'i (2912)
narratedfrom 'Aa'ishah that she said: I wanted to enter the House (the
Ka'bah) and pray inside it, but the Messenger of Allah (blessings and
peace of Allah be upon him) took me by the hand and led me into
al-Hijr and said: "Pray in al-Hijr if you want to enter the House, for
it is a part of the House, but your people ran out of funds when they
(re)built the Ka'bah, so they left it outside the House."
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allahhave mercy on him) said: Obligatory (fard)
prayers are not valid inside the Ka'bah or on its roof, but they were
regarded as permissible by al-Shaafa'i and Abu Haneefah, because it is
a mosque and because it is a place for naafil praying, so it should be
a place for obligatory prayers too, just like the area outside it. But
Allah says (interpretation of the meaning): "And from wheresoever you
start forth (for prayers), turn your face in the direction of
Al-Masjid Al-Haraam (atMakkah)" [al-Baqarah 2:149]. The worshipper who
is inside it or on its roof is not facing towards it. But the basic
principle with regard to naafil prayers is that the rulings on them
are less stringent, based on the fact that they may be prayed whilst
seated, facing a direction other than the qiblah, and, when
travelling, on one's mount.
Then he said: Naafil prayers are valid if offeredinside the Ka'bah or
on its roof, and we do not knowof any difference of opinion concerning
that, because the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him)
prayed two rak'ahs inside the Ka'bah.
End quote from al-Mughni, 1/406
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about praying
inside it, and whether there is any advantage in doing so.
He replied: Praying inside Hijr Ismaa'eel is mustahabb, because it is
part of the Ka'bah, and it is narrated in a saheeh report from the
Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) that he entered the
Ka'bah during the year of the conquest (of Makkah) and prayed two
rak'ahs inside it. The soundness of this hadith is agreed upon;
thehadeeth was narrated from Ibn 'Umar and Bilaal (may Allah be
pleased with them).
It is proven that the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon
him) said to 'Aa'ishah when she wanted to enter the Ka'bah: "Pray in
al-Hijr," because it is part of the House (the Ka'bah).
With regard to obligatory prayers, it is better not to offer them
inside the Ka'bah or in Hijr Ismaa'eel,because the Prophet (blessings
and peace of Allah be upon him) did not do that, and because some of
the scholars said that it (obligatory prayer) is not valid inside the
Ka'bah or in al-Hijr, because al-Hijr is part of the Ka'bah.
Thus it is known that what is prescribed is to offer obligatory
prayers outside the Ka'bah and outside al-Hijr, following the example
of the Prophet (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him), and so as
to avoid differing from those scholars who say that obligatory prayer
offered inside the Ka'bah or in al-Hijr is not valid.
And Allah is the source of strength.
End quote from Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (11/389)
To sum up: prayer inside al-Hijr is mustahabb, but it should be
limited to naafil prayers.
And Allah knows best.
'' Our Lord ! grant us good in this world and good in the hereafter and save us from the torment of the Fire '' [Ameen]
-
{in Arab} :->
Rabbanaa aatinaa fid-dunyaa hasanatan wafil aakhirati hasanatan waqinaa 'athaaban-naar/-
(Surah Al-Baqarah ,verse 201)
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