What Does Islam say about bringing small children in the Masajid at the time of Salaah and other Deen-e-Ta’lim ? Our Masajid is blessed with a Madrasah and a Yaatim-Khana. The Head Imam who is also the Mohtamim of the Madrasah, ordered all the Yaatim (aged from 6 to 13) should be present when Five times Farz Salaah is performed in the Masajid. Since long, it is being noticed that the Saafs (Raws in the Jamaat) are not properly filled up by the Baleg Musalli since the Yaatim children stand right from the 4th or 5th row covering 1/6 portion of a single row, like this, almost 6 or 7 rows are filled up by the Yaatim Children. Now, if a front row is vacant at left corner, Musalli coming lately hasitates to cover that up since he will have to walk over there in front of those Yaatim children, who already did Takbir with the Imam. Sometimes, when I lately attended the Jamaat, after 1 or 2 units (in a 4-Unit Salaah), I noticed many Yaatim children are fighting, doing various nauty things, making fun among them while attending the Jamaat with the Imam. After Isha Salaah, Tabligh Jamat people offers Ta’lim from Fazail-e-Amal and our Head Imam also wants all the Yaatim to attend the Ta’lim. It is noticed among most of them, they don’t just care what is going on, some of them keep fighting, some of them sleep – in short, since the Yaatim are very small in age, they just use the Masajid as a small play field. Due to their various activities while Ta’lim goes on, disturbances and noise are created and hence not all the people can listen to the Ta’lim with full attension. Please don’t mind and don’t assume that I’m after the Imam sahib. I respect him a lot. He has done lots for our Masajid, Madrasah etc. But I only have objections against few of his activities like mentioned above – ordering the Yaatim children to be in the Salaah in Jamaat and Ta’lim. Is it alright for the Imam sahib for his that order? If not, how can the Imam Sahib be informed about this and what kind of Hikmah should be followed. Please provide me appropriate Shariah rules.
Answer
(Fatwa: 856/1175=H/1429)
To make so small children come to mosque and perform salah with jamat is not free from being makrooh (undesirable). It is in favour of orphans and as per training principle too that their arrangement be made in the Madrasa instead of mosque, and teachers should ask them to perform salah with jamat under their supervision. And for the objective of training, anyone among the children is made imam daily in turn so that these children may be perfect in performing and leading salah. It is also advisable that the taleem of Faza-e- Aamaal should be arranged by the children and teachers should supervise them.
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband