إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ

“The mosques of Allāh shall be maintained only by those who believe in Allāh and the Last Day; perform al-Ṣalāh, and give Zakāh and fear none but Allāh. It is they who are expected to be on true guidance.”
(Al-Tawbah, 9:18)

Imām Muḥammad Amīn al-Shanqīṭī explains:

‘Maintained’:

In the spiritual sense by engaging in Allāh’s worship, remembering Him therein.
In the physical sense by building and erecting the structures to be utilised as masājid, repairing and restoring them whenever required.

“It is they who are expected to be on true guidance”: that is, those are the ones traversing the correct path of safety from the Fire that will ultimately lead them to Paradise.¹

Imām al-Qurṭubī also explains:

This āyah proves that it is correct for one to testify that anyone who is seen actively engaging in maintaining the masjid (physically or spiritually) possesses īmān. This is because Allāh has attributed having īmān to maintaining the masjid, indicating in this āyah that the two go hand-in-hand. As some of the pious predecessors used to say:

​

If you observe a person maintaining the masjid, then harbour only good thoughts and presumptions regarding him.²

On the authority of Abū Hurayrah (رضي الله عنه): There was a black woman [named Kharqāʾ Umm Miḥjan) who used to sweep the masjid, removing the impurities and refuse from it. Her absence was noted by the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) after several days had elapsed, so he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) enquired about her. It was said to him [by Abū Bakr]: “She has passed away”. So he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) replied: “Could you not have notified me of her passing?” [Abū Hurayrah] said: “It would appear as if they had trivialised her affair.” In another narration: “She had passed during the night and we hated to wake you”. He (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Show me to her grave”. He then approached her grave with his companions. He said the takbīr, ordering the companions behind him to form rows, and he invoked Allāh for her.³

Shaykh Muḥammad ibn Ṣāliḥ al-ʿUthaymīn explains:

In this ḥadīth, a black woman or man is specifically mentioned as being the one to sweep the masjid. In most narrations, it was a woman. It is also specifically mentioned that she was ‘black’; (i.e., non-Arab). She used to sweep the masjid, that is, to clean it, ridding it from the refuse and rubbish present therein. This woman passed away during the night and the companions—may Allāh be pleased with all of them—surmised the matter of her death to be miniscule and trivial, such that they said to one another: ‘There is no need to bring the Prophet’s (صلى الله عليه وسلم) attention to her passing, disturbing him in relation to it at night’. So they buried her without telling him such that he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) noticed her sudden absence, enquiring and subsequently being informed that she had passed. Thus, he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Could you not have notified me of her passing?” Then, he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “Show me to her grave”. He then prayed for her. There are several lessons that may be derived from this ḥadīth:

1. The Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to attach importance to people in accordance with the magnanimity of their actions, concordant with their acts of obedience to Allāh and His worship.
2. The permissibility of a woman cleaning the masjid and that the fulfilling of this role is not limited to men only. Rather, anyone who cleans the masjid seeking by means of it Allāh’s reward will be deserving of it, regardless of whether it is a woman or if she pays another to do it on her behalf.
3. Cleaning the masjid and removing its impurities is a legislated act of worship, as the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) said: “I was presented with the good deeds of my ummah—even the miniscule impurities that a man removes from the masjid.”⁴ That is, he will be deserving of reward for the removal of impurities from it, however small they may be.⁵
4. The apparent attention and care of the Messenger (صلى الله عليه وسلم) towards certain people only in relation to the goodness they used to engage in, as this woman was not attributed to any other act besides her sweeping and cleaning the masjid.
5. The humility and humbleness of the Prophet (صلى الله عليه وسلم) in physically finding the grave of this woman to pray for her, despite the fact that he could have easily prayed for her without doing so.
6. The magnanimity of this black woman and the act she used to engage in, and showing gratefulness for her act of righteousness.⁶

Also, among its lessons as al-ʿAllāmah Muḥammad ibn Ādam al-Ithyūbī said:

7. A clarification of the great blessings attributable to cleaning the masjid, as Ibn Baṭṭāl said: “In it, there is a clear encouragement towards sweeping and cleaning the masjid as he (صلى الله عليه وسلم) did not pray on her grave specifically for any other reason save for the fact that she used to do so.
8. The most befitting recompense for the one who confines himself to the servitude of the Muslims, facilitating and righting their affairs is to invoke Allāh on their behalf.

An encouragement towards witnessing the janāzah of the righteous.

On the authority of Samurah ibn Jundub (رضي الله عنه) who once wrote to his son: The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) commanded us to establish masājid in our locales, and that we seek excellence in their construction, and that we clean them continuously.⁷

On the authority of ʿĀʾishah (رضي الله عنها) who said: The Messenger of Allāh (صلى الله عليه وسلم) used to command us to establish masājid in our locales and that they are cleaned regularly, their smell made fragrant with ṭīb.⁸

Imām al-Shawkānī explains:

“Cleaned regularly”: that is, its dirt, filth, and impurities are constantly cleaned and removed. “Their smell made fragrant with ṭīb”: That is the ṭīb used by men which is colourless but fragrant. This is because an excess of colour in the masjid acts to detract the gaze of the person performing ṣalāh. The most befitting place to release this fragrance is where ṣalāh is being performed, particularly the place where one places his head when performing sujūd. This ṭīb may also be interpreted as the burning of incense.⁹

Al-ʿAllāmah ʿAbd al-Muḥsin al-ʿAbbād explains:

“Cleaned”: that is, its dirt removed, protected and maintained from being marred by anything considered najs (impure). This command to clean the masjid is comprehensive of that which is najs, as well as anything that is dirty or that which the people perceive as detestable or off-putting upon seeing, even if not considered najs.

Compiled and translated by: Riyāḍ al-Kanadī