Introduction: The Phenomenon of Driving Children Away from Mosques
Peace be upon you and God’s mercy and blessings. May God greet you, dear brothers and sisters, in this unusual broadcast. Normally, I prefer to record my words and delete them if there are mistakes, holding myself accountable for every word, comma, and period. However, this live format allows many good things to be shared promptly.
The topic of this live broadcast is a post I published yesterday about the story of a brother who left the mosque for 25 years due to offensive treatment by adults. He told me painfully, “I felt that as young boys at the time, we were not welcome in the mosque.” What caught my attention was the number of comments complaining about this issue, with dozens or even hundreds saying, “This happened to me.” At the same time, others complain about the noise and behavior of some children disrupting concentration and parents neglecting their guidance.
Since we are now at the beginning of summer vacation, we want our children to embrace the mosques. Therefore, we aim to find a balanced approach. This is why I am delivering this talk, and I have prepared ten points to cover, which we will go through one by one, God willing.
First Point: Misunderstanding the Hadith “Let those with maturity and understanding pray close to me”
Often in the comments, some elderly or adult worshippers in the mosque push boys away from the front row based on the hadith: “Let those with maturity and understanding pray close to me.” The hadith is authentic, but our understanding of it is incorrect. The person who grabs a child by the shoulder and moves him from the front row based on this hadith has misunderstood it.
I researched several reputable fatwa websites and found a question: “If a young boy steps forward to the front row in prayer, is it permissible to move him so an older man can pray in his place?” The answer was consistent across these sites: The Prophet ﷺ instructed people of knowledge and virtue to move forward in prayer and stand close to him ﷺ. He said, “Let those with maturity and understanding pray close to me, then those who follow them, and then those who follow them.”
However, this hadith is not a prohibition for others to step forward; rather, it is an encouragement for those with maturity and understanding to advance in prayer so they can learn from the Prophet ﷺ and assist him in recitation if needed. If they are lazy and late, then whoever reaches the front row or stands behind the imam has more right to it, even if it is a young boy.
Moving distinguished boys away from the front row humiliates them, drives them away from the mosque, prayer, and even religion in general. It also discourages them from arriving early for prayers and competing to stand in the front row. It is not permissible for adults to remove children if they have already reached the front. The principle is that children should be scattered among adults so they can learn discipline and prayer etiquette. Placing them all in one row behind adults leads to their playing and laughing.
Second Point: When Should We Bring a Child to the Mosque?
Imam Malik was asked about bringing children to mosques. He said, “If the child is too young to cause mischief and stops when told, I see no harm in bringing him. But if he is too young to cause mischief and does not stop when told, I do not see it permissible to bring him to the mosque.”
Therefore, scholars divide children into two categories:
- Those who do not cause mischief or stop when told; it is permissible to bring them, and it is best for them to stand next to their father or a close relative.
- Those who cause mischief, do not stop when told, and disrupt prayer; it is not permissible to bring them due to the disturbance they cause to worshippers.
As for exceptional cases, such as when a father must bring his child due to a special circumstance (e.g., the mother is ill), we should be lenient in such situations and avoid driving them away, recalling the Prophet’s ﷺ hadith when he shortened the prayer out of mercy for a mother whose child was crying.
Third Point: Unauthentic Hadiths Used to Drive Children Away
There are hadiths frequently cited that are not authentic, such as: “Keep madmen and children away from your mosques.” This is completely unauthentic. Similarly, the hadith that prescribes the order of rows (men, then children, then women) in a mandatory sequence is also unauthentic. Therefore, we should not use these inauthentic hadiths as evidence.
Fourth Point: The Responsibility of Parents in Guiding Their Children
We strongly emphasize the necessity of parents paying attention to their children so they do not cause disruption or mischief. It is not permissible to allow your child to act out, laugh, or distract others under the pretext of “making them love the mosque.” Neither extremism nor negligence is acceptable.
God has commanded us to honor and sanctify mosques, as He says:
In houses which God has permitted to be raised and in which His name is mentioned, He is glorified therein morning and evening.
Exalting mosques includes protecting them from noise and mischief. Therefore, keep your child beside you; this is more likely to help them attain humility, learn, and become disciplined.
Fifth Point: The Prophet’s ﷺ Conduct with Children
The Prophet ﷺ is our ultimate role model. In a sound hadith, he prostrated for so long that people thought something had happened. When he finished the prayer, he said, “Everything was fine; my grandson was riding on my back, and I did not want to rush him until he finished what he wanted to do.”
In another instance, the Prophet ﷺ was delivering a sermon when Hasan and Husayn, peace be upon them, came wearing red shirts, stumbling as they walked. He descended from the pulpit, picked them up, and placed them in front of him, then said, “God and His Messenger have spoken the truth:
Your wealth and your children are but a trial.
I saw these two boys stumbling and could not bear it, so I interrupted my speech to lift them up.” Where are those with harshness in comparison to this Prophetic conduct?
Sixth Point: The Impact of Harshness in Losing Generations
Through your harshness, you lose the child and their father, driving them away from the houses of God. Recall the story of the Bedouin who urinated in the mosque. How gently the Prophet ﷺ dealt with him, teaching him proper etiquette until the Bedouin said, “O God, have mercy on me and Muhammad, and do not have mercy on anyone else with us.”
I say bluntly to those who impose their own rules in mosques: In your work, you comply with laws and do not exceed your authority. By what right do you come to the house of God, about which He says:
And [He has revealed] that the mosques are for God, so do not invoke anyone with God,
to contradict the Prophet’s ﷺ guidance and drive away the guests of the Most Merciful? This is a grave sin.
Seventh Point: The Mosque is a School, Not a Place for Expulsion
A brother commented, “If someone has a private school, would they expel a student for childish behavior? Or would they accommodate them, guide them, and offer incentives to retain them?” How then can we lose a child in the mosque for mere childish behavior?
When you drive away children—the future generation—you are contributing to the ruin of mosques in the future, as they will become empty and devoid of those who maintain them. God says:
And who is more unjust than he who forbids the mosques of God from being mentioned in them and strives toward their destruction?
Eighth Point: Driving Children Away is Not an Excuse to Abandon Prayer, But the One Who Drives Them Away is Sinful
Some say that driving children away is not an excuse for abandoning the mosque for years, and we agree that the adult is blameworthy for abandoning prayer. However, the one who drives them away is also sinful and responsible for this alienation.
Ninth Point: A Campaign to Rectify the Situation with Gentleness
We need a swift campaign to rectify this situation with gentleness and kindness, for “nothing is adorned with gentleness except that it is beautified.” If gentleness does not work with some of those who drive children away, a calculated shock may be needed to remind them of their mistake, as one father did when he responded to someone who insulted his children in the mosque, reminding him of his son who was lost to drugs while he tried to keep his children connected to the mosque.
Tenth Point: The Mosque is a Place of Mercy, Not Exclusion
The mosque is a house of mercy, a place of learning, and a sanctuary for all Muslims. It is not a place for exclusion or harshness. Let us return to the Prophetic example, where the Prophet ﷺ said:
The best of people are those who bring the most benefit to others.
Let us be among those who bring benefit, not those who drive away the next generation. May God guide us all to what is right.
Tenth Point: Welcoming Slogans for the Little Guests of the Most Merciful
I hope we can display banners in our mosques and on screens to welcome children, such as:
- "If you do not hear the voices of children in the mosque, beware of the generations to come."
- "That child you turn away from the mosque because of the noise is the same one you will one day beg to pray there—so be patient with them and teach them."
- "Welcome to the little guests of the Most Merciful."
- "Welcome to the youth of tomorrow, the builders of the mosques."
We want the child to feel welcomed and respected. Share your designs and messages with us on the screens so that this becomes a culture that imposes itself.
I ask Allah the Almighty to fill His houses in the lands of Muslims and beyond with children, youth, and elders, and to teach us good manners—for none can guide to the best of them except He. May Allah reward you with good, and peace be upon you, and the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.