No Masjid, prays at home

23-6-2003 | IslamWeb

Question:

I am a new convert and there is no Masjid in my area, so most times I say Salahs at home by Islamic standards is this wrong? What can I do? Is it a must that every Muslim grow his facial hair?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions. Prayers performed at home with one's family or alone are valid, above all if one does not hear Azan. But Muslims in general and new Muslims in particular should do their best to adhere to all Muslim duties, including living in an area where mosques and learning centers are available. Indeed this is the best way to learn Fiqh and profit from brothers in Islam. So, we warn you against staying in an area where the prayer is not performed in congregation. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "Any three people living in a village or a countryside where the prayer is not performed in congregation are overwhelmed by Satan. So, adhere to the group. Indeed, the wolf eats only the remote sheep (from the rest of the herd)" . So, do your best to build a mosque if you can even in cooperation with other Muslims in the area. The Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) said: "Whoever builds a mosque for the Sake of Allah, Allah builds a house for him in Paradise" . Moreover, before you build a mosque, keep on calling Azan even beside your home, and call any Muslims in the area to pray with you. Otherwise you could pray with your family or alone if necessary. Know that many Muslims in Europe have suffered from the same situation and most of them have solved this problem by building mosques in their areas or renting flats where they get together and pray in congregation with Azan and Iqamah. As for growing the beard, it is obligatory on all Muslims as it is an obedience of the orders of the Prophet (Sallallahu Alaihi wa Sallam) who said: "Let your beards grow" . Al-Bukhari adds in his narration of the same Hadith: "Be different from the polytheists; grow your beards and trim your mustaches" . Ibn Hazm reported a consensus among Muslim scholars that growing the beard is an obligatory act. Allah knows best.