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Praying In a Deobandi Masjid

Question

As’salaamu Alaikum Shaykh, Hayakallah. Can you please give me a specific fatwa for my circumstance? I live in the U.K. England and pray regularly in congregation at a masjid which is upon the Qur’an wa Sunnah wa Manhaj as-Salaf. This masjid is a 10 minute walk from my house. There is also a Deobandi masjid which is 2/3 minutes walk from my house. Is it permissible for me to go to this Deobandi masjid if I come home late and cannot make it in time to my regular masjid or should I pray at home with my wife? Please note that they make congregation dua’a after the prayer,, they sit in a circle and recite from the book Fadaa’il A’amaal,, they also do not straighten the rows properly or connect feet to feet or should to shoulder and their Asr start time is 1+ hours after the real Asr start time. Is it permissible for me to go to this Deobandi masjid ‘sometimes’ because of time constraints such as coming from work late, forgetfulness, attending to a need etc? I consider myself a very small student of knowledge and I know about their Aqeedah and innovated practices. Please advise whether I can pray some prayers at this masjid because of a need? May Allah Bless You

Answer

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad  sallallaahu  `alayhi  wa  sallam ( may  Allaah exalt his mention ) is His slave and Messenger.

It is permissible to pray in any Masjid and behind any Muslim, whether he is pious or dissolute. Therefore, there is no harm in praying in the mentioned mosque any time you wish.

As for them delaying the ‘Asr prayer, then this could be because they adhere to the Hanafi school of jurisprudence. It is known that in the school of Abu Haneefah, the ‘Asr prayer is prayed later than the time adopted by the majority of the scholars.

Regarding some of the things they do, if they do them imitating one of the scholars whom one is permitted to imitate, then one should not rebuke them for it. However, if they do something that the scholars agree in consensus to be impermissible or an innovation, then you must clarify the ruling to them, softly and wisely.

Nonetheless, their actions have no impact on the validity of your prayer if you pray with them. If they abandon some of the recommended acts, like straightening the rows, then you should softly advise them to adhere to the Sunnah in this regard.

Allah knows best.

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