Praying in a Masjid with Shirk or at Home Which Better

Question

I have a Barelvi masjid near me. They say Wahhabi, Deobandi, and Tablighi should not enter the masjid and are not allowed to pray there. They also make du‘a to Ghaus-e-Azam (ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Jilani) to bless them. Is it permissible for me to pray there, or should I pray at home?

Bottom Line

Talk to the imam and authorities. Do not pray in a masjid where shirk is practiced. If no other masjid is available, pray at home.

Quick Answer

Calling upon the dead is major shirk, and it invalidates tawheed. A masjid where shirk is openly practiced is not suitable for prayer. If another masjid is available, pray there. If not, it is better to pray at home to preserve the purity of worship.

Key Takeaways

• Du‘a is worship, and worship belongs to Allah alone.
• Calling on saints or the dead is shirk and must be avoided.
• If no other masjid exists, praying at home is better than joining shirk practices.

Detailed Answer

The Muslim has to understand that prayer is the greatest of the pillars of Islam, and that it is the thing which distinguishes a Muslim from a non-Muslim, as it says in the hadith of Jabir (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say:

“Between a man and shirk and kufr there stands his giving up prayer.” Muslim, 82

Mosques are houses of Allah and should unite Muslims on tawheed. When a masjid becomes a place where shirk is committed, such as supplicating to ʿAbd al-Qadir al-Jilani for blessings, then praying there validates false practices.

Allah says:

“And do not invoke, besides Allah, that which neither benefits you nor harms you. For if you did, then indeed you would be of the wrongdoers.”

Qur’an 10:106

The Prophet ﷺ said:

“Du‘a is worship.”

Sunan Ibn Majah 3828

Supplication is an act of worship and must only be directed to Allah. Asking anyone else, living or dead, for unseen help is shirk.

If giving da‘wah is possible with wisdom and knowledge, it may be attempted, but disputes inside the masjid should be avoided. If the environment remains filled with innovations and shirk, then safeguard your worship by praying at home if no other masjid is available.

What This Means for You

If another masjid is available, pray there. If no other masjid exists, pray at home rather than in a place where shirk is practiced.

And Allah knows best.

References

Primary Sources

Qur’an

1. Yunus 10:106: Do not invoke besides Allah that which neither benefits nor harms.

Hadith

2. Sunan Ibn Majah 3828: “Du‘a is worship.”
3. Muslim, 82  Clarifying the usage of the word Kafir for one who abandons Salat

Secondary Sources

3. Ibn Taymiyyah, Al-Qawa‘id al-Arba‘: On shirk in du‘a and calling upon other than Allah.
4. Standing Committee for Fatwa, Vol. 2, p. 193: Ruling on praying in places where shirk is practiced.