Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
A while back there was another musallah that opened on the other part of town, which is closer than the masjid. Some claim that the person who was involved heavily in establishing did it out of spite because the people did not let him do a khutbah or something of that sort. They say that someone talked to him and that’s what he said. I cannot personally verify any of the above though I trust the people who talked to him. However, in the last community meeting that person was invited to talk about the musallah, to shed some light on how their project was going and what was their purpose. He said that the musallah was made so that people who work in the west part of the city (the masjid is in the east) could come from work and be able to pray easily in a place close by. Also a lot of the Muslims live in the west part so it is more accessible to them (some who would normally not go to the masjid because it is far away for them). Now some people are saying that one’s prayer in such a place is not valid because the place was made out of spite, is this claim true according to the traditional ulema? Is it okay for me to go to that musallah for jummah (the quality of their khutbas are better as well
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
1. Islamically, it is not permitted to claim that another has ill-intent unless his actions decisively prove it.
Allah Most High told us in the Qur’an,
049.012 O you who believe! Shun much suspicion; for lo! some suspicion is a crime. And spy not, neither backbite one another. Would one of you love to eat the flesh of his dead brother? You abhor that (so abhor the other)! And keep your duty (to Allah). Lo! Allah is Relenting, Merciful.
049.013 O mankind! Lo! We have created you male and female, and have made you nations and tribes that you may know one another. Lo! the noblest of you, in the sight of Allah, is the best in conduct. Lo! Allah is Knower, Aware.
2. The default assumption and operating certainty about all human acts is that they are sound and performed out of sound intent. As such, if someone opened a prayer hall, one is religiously obliged to assume they had good intentions or, at least, reject insinuations of foul intent.
And Allah alone gives success.
Wassalam,
Faraz Rabbani