Top Saudi Arabian scholar says Muslims may pray in churches and synagogues

[Saif al-Arab]

Top Saudi scholar says Muslims may pray in churches and synagogues

ARAB NEWS | Published — Friday 10 November 2017

Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Manea

JEDDAH: Abdullah bin Sulaiman Al-Manea, a member of the Council of Senior Scholars, has said that Islam is a religion of tolerance and mercy, not of violence, intolerance, or terrorism. Al-Manea stressed that Muslims should spread true Islam and follow the tradition of the Prophet in his tolerant treatment of people from different religions.
Al-Manea gave a fatwa (religious advisory opinion), reported by Al-Anba’ Kuwaiti newspaper, stating that Muslims may pray in Shiite or Sufi mosques, churches or synagogues. He noted that all lands belong to God, and cited the Prophet’s words: “The earth has been made a place of prostration and a means of purification for me.”
Al-Manea said that Islam is a religion of coexistence not of violence, and noted that Muslims cannot have differences in the basic principles of Aqidah (creed) of Islam, but they may differ in the branches.
Concerning dealing with non-Muslims, Al-Manea cited an occasion when the Prophet received a delegation of Christians from Najran in his mosques, and he allowed them to perform their own prayer facing Jerusalem. Al-Manea also cited other sayings of the Prophet which reflected his kindness and mercy with non-Muslims.
Al-Manea stressed that Islam spread in many countries, such as Indonesia and Malaysia, because of the good manners of Muslim merchants, which attracted the citizens of these countries to embrace Islam.
Al-Manea stated that the Prophet explained all aspects of good and warned of everything evil. Al-Manea called upon Muslims to be thankful to God for the blessing of faith and warned against rushing into giving fatwas.
The office of Al-Manea issued a statement 10 years ago stressing that Muslims are allowed to enter churches to look around and gain more knowledge about these places of worship. The statement referred to the incident when Omar bin Al-Khattab, the second Muslim Caliph, refused to pray at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem because he did not want Muslims to bother Christians in their church. Instead, he prayed in a nearby area, where a mosque was built with the name Omar Mosque. Yet, Omar did not say that Muslims cannot enter churches.
Al-Manea stressed that Muslims “may enter churches to learn about them, and Christians are allowed to enter mosques — except the Grand Mosque in Makkah — and pray in them.”

http://www.arabnews.com/node/1191041/saudi-arabia

Umar ibn al-Khattab (ra), the second Amir al-Mu'minin after Prophet Mohammed (saws), did pray in a church while visiting Palestine. We study this in schools. Nothing new. He was just reminding people about that and there is an old tradition of allowing this practice among Arab scholars due to the sizable (historically especially) Arab Christian community and even Arab Jewish community.

The few but very loud and troublesome "elements" that have been hijacking the country for decades and the religious discourse, are being removed/sidelined one by one giving room to serious scholars like Sheikh Al-Manea. It just gets better and better.

 

[somebozo]

Many churches have been purchased across Europe and north america to be converted to mosque.
Also due to space constrains often prayer spaces are shared between different Abrahmic faith, so this is nothing new.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

Many churches have been purchased across Europe and north america to be converted to mosque.
Also due to space constrains often prayer spaces are shared between different Abrahmic faith, so this is nothing new.

This is Europe where many churches are empty during Sunday's and in general. This gives Muslims (who have few "real" mosques in many Western European countries) the opportunity to buy or lease such empty churches instead.

However this has nothing to do with Europe but rather internal affairs of KSA and the religious discourse that previously (as you might know) was hijacked/dominated by a minority (overall) of literalists and hardcore purists who sidelined all other views even if those other views were in the majority.

1) This makes it "halal" for the many former churches and synagogs across KSA (some of the earliest in the world in fact - google Jubail Church)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jubail_Church

to be turned into tourist attractions and visited by the average person and not to be closed off as currently.

2) This silences the minority of civilian purists who will be labelled as extremists now if they go against the official opinion of the scholars, thus making it easier to sideline them and their declining influence.

3) All in all a win-win situation by all accounts.

And no, I do not plan to pray in some church or synagogue ruins in KSA but I would like KSA to tell this part of our ancient history as well and not deny it because it does not suit certain clerics or civilians.

As I see it the current Grand Mufti is a part of the old guard along with the likes of Al-Fazwan. Thus I would like to see their dismiss from public life soon either by undergoing "pension" or dying a natural death.

When the Grand Mufti is no longer here you will see a full-blown removal of such elements and I predict that to occur relatively harmlessly and without much trouble.

Sometimes I do wonder if MbS is fulfilling my political ambitions and doing the work for me in advance. I talk about some subject and a few months/years later that subject is dealt with accordingly. Funny but great at the same time.

 

[YeBeWarned]

I have no problem in praying in a Church or Synagogues , because we are not bowing to any picture , idol or an object , we bow into the direction of Mecca to a unseen God .. and i think we should allow Christians and Jews into our mosques as well for the same purpose .

 

[Hamza913]

My father used to do this, Church owners let Muslims pray Jumaat Namaz.

 

[KediKesenFare3]

He basically said that Wahabis are allowed to pray in buildings which belong to other religions.

Among Shia and rightful Sunnis this is something completely obvious and nothing new at all.

But nice to see that Wahabism is being fought by some people.

 

[BHarwana]

I cannot Pray in a church this is wrong and I am openly saying it. Convert that church to Mosque and I will Pray in it. In the same way We Muslims cannot let go bait-ul-Muqadas it will be turned back into a mosque. Stop preachiing Israeli initiative to us. lol

And why is there a need to pray in a church Islam has allowed us to assemble a a jammat at any clean place if there is no mosque arround.

This Image is from Israel when they shut down al-Aqsa Mosque.

 

[Indus Pakistan]

You know I am turning into a big fan of MBS. From what I have read this guy is about to turn the whole Wahabi malachy on it's head. I read the details about he plans to drag KSA society into the future begining with sorting out the dinosaurs like the Grand Mufti. My angle on this is simple. Half of Pakistan has become slave of the mentality that is peddled by KSA clergy. When and I hope MBS does - he takes them to the cleaners and ushers in the modern era like exactly the OP has highlighted we are going get lot of these slave Pakistani literally blowing themselves up with shock.

We live in interesting times. More power to MBS. And a salute to modern liberal KSA.

 

[Hamza913]

I cannot Pray in a church this is wrong and I am openly saying it. Convert that church to Mosque and I will Pray in it. In the same way We Muslims cannot let go bait-ul-Muqadas it will be turned back into a mosque. Stop preachiing Israeli initiative to us. lol

And why is there a need to pray in a church Islam has allowed us to assemble a a jammat at any clean place if there is no mosque arround.

This Image is from Israel when they shut down al-Aqsa Mosque.

It's halal, don't worry.

https://islamqa.info/en/147007

He basically said that Wahabis are allowed to pray in buildings which belong to other religions.

Among Shia and rightful Sunnis this is something completely obvious and nothing new at all.

But nice to see that Wahabism is being fought by some people.

Salafism has always considered this fine, provided certain guidelines are met.

https://islamqa.info/en/147007

 

[BHarwana]

It's halal, don't worry.

https://islamqa.info/en/147007

I dont take it as Halal my point of view is that can we eat in a christian restaurant where there is no Halal food no we cannot so if we cannot eat in a christian restaurant how can we pray in a christian Praying place?

 

[Hamza913]

I dont take it as Halal my point of view is that can we eat in a christian restaurant where there is no Halal food no we cannot so if we cannot eat in a christian restaurant how can we pray in a christian Praying place?

It's permissible to eat food made by Christians as a substitute to Halal food, if the latter is unavailable. Only problem is you can't really tell if food is made by Christians specifically these days, so nobody can practice this.

Anyway, you're free to be over-cautious if you wish.

 

[AUz]

Synagogue yes but I probably would not pray in a Church where they have statue of Jesus as ‘god’

If church space does not have any shirk idol or symbols then no problem in praying there facing Makkah

 

[BHarwana]

It's permissible to eat food made by Christians as a substitute to Halal food, if the latter is unavailable. Only problem is you can't really tell if food is made by Christians specifically these days, so nobody can practice this.

Anyway, you're free to be over-cautious if you wish.

I am not over cautious I just don't believe that any one is thekadar of Islam. Islam is all available in Quran and After that the life of Holy Prophet(PBUH) and his a Hadis Mubarik. If my Prophet Pak has offered Prayers in any church give example and I will go to a church from tomorrow but if Holy Prophet has not offered Prayers in any church I cannot. I don't need new Islam I am happy with my old Islam.

 

[Saif al-Arab]

He basically said that Wahabis are allowed to pray in buildings which belong to other religions.

Among Shia and rightful Sunnis this is something completely obvious and nothing new at all.

But nice to see that Wahabism is being fought by some people.

The imaginary Wahhabis (Hanbalis who are a clear minority in KSA - a country home to all Islamic sects indigenously like no other country in the world) taught this in school books in KSA before the creation of the Turkish Republic. You are a bit late.

The cleric saying this is a supposed imaginary "Wahhabi". The Hanbali clerics before him saying the same decades ago were also imaginary "Wahhabis".

If your logic was sound the numerous church ruins and synagogue ruins found across all of KSA would be raised to the ground like the Bamyan Buddha's were in Afghanistan less than 20 years ago.

However that has never been the case. Christians and Jews alike have been considered as "people of the book" even by the biggest purists and hardliners in KSA and elsewhere in the Muslim world. Why? Because there is a long and well-established consensus.

Unlike for instance whether graves of "saints" shall be used as worshipping places that are to be venerated, visited and prayed at despite this clearly being against Islamic teachings as practiced by the first many generations of Muslims and first Muslim Caliphates and states. Obviously such practices are pre-Islamic elements and politically motivated.

This is not news for any educated person in KSA. However this being said publicly and by a senior cleric like Al-Manea is obviously a direct message to the minority of hardline purists who have done so much harm for KSA.

KSA has been home to millions of Christian (Catholic) Filipino migrants (one of the most respected communities in KSA - ask any Saudi Arabian) so people are familiar with Christians and the Christian religion. There is no hostility towards the average Christian or even the Jew. If there is hostility it is politically motivated like in the remaining Muslim world. Trying to paint KSA as some kind of odd ball in the Muslim world won't work. Let alone in a country with 10% of convinced atheists (more than in most if not all Muslim countries with the exception of maybe Albania and Bosnia).

 

[The SC]

I dont take it as Halal my point of view is that can we eat in a christian restaurant where there is no Halal food no we cannot so if we cannot eat in a christian restaurant how can we pray in a christian Praying place?

Because it is called a house of God..

I am not over cautious I just don't believe that any one is thekadar of Islam. Islam is all available in Quran and After that the life of Holy Prophet(PBUH) and his a Hadis Mubarik. If my Prophet Pak has offered Prayers in any church give example and I will go to a church from tomorrow but if Holy Prophet has not offered Prayers in any church I cannot. I don't need new Islam I am happy with my old Islam.

There is no obligation to go pray in a church.. it is just in case there is no Mosque around or near by..