This Masjid of Mine

بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم
In the Name of Allah, Most Merciful, Most Compassionate

Assalaamu alaykum

Dear Friends

I pray that you are well.

Our covenant with our Lord is prayer and regular performance of prayers but so many Muslims don't pray regularly and many find a great hardship to wake up for Fajr, let alone pray Fajr and 'Isha at the masjid. The hardship increases when Fajr is very early in the morning and 'Isha is late, past normal bedtime.

Narrated Abu Hurayra, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

If they knew what there is (of reward) in ‘Isha’ and Fajr prayer, they would come to them even if they had to crawl.

[Bukhari and Muslim]

Abandoning your prayers is a transgression of your covenant with your Lord, and you miss out on the tremendous virtues of prayers.

Narrated ‘Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, that the Messenger of Allah, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

Whoever prays ‘Isha’ in congregation, it is as if he spent half the night in prayer, and whoever prays Fajr in congregation, it is as if he spent the whole night in prayer.

[Muslim]

‘Umar ibn al-Khattab, may Allah be pleased with him, said:

To attend Fajr prayer in congregation is dearer to me than spending the night in prayer.

There is a tremendous virtue for men to offer Fajr and 'Isha in congregation in the masjid.

Those who perform the Fajr and 'Isha prayers in their respective times, however great the hardship and discomfort, is a sign of his sincerity and faith, and a sincere believer is under the protection of Allah.

That's why one of the things to look for when choosing a husband is to make sure the person has been praying Fajr and 'Isha regularly at the masjid.

There is no greater virtue for women to pray in congregation than praying at home. Women receive the same blessing for praying at home that men receive for going to the mosque.

The Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "A woman's prayer in the depths of her house is better than her prayer in this masjid of mine."

Aisha, may Allah be well pleased with her, said, "Had the Prophet, Allah bless him and grant him peace, seen what women do now, he would have forbidden them the mosque as the women of Bani Isra'il were forbidden."

Masjid for a woman is her home. Women should pray at home if there is no genuine need for her to be in the masjid to avoid negative influences and fitnah for her and everyone else.

May Allah grant us steadfastness and taqwa. Ameen.

Please don't forget us in your night prayers. Jazakallahu khairan.

And Allah knows best.
Wassalaam