Masjids and Malls....

The Prophet (sal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) said: “The dearest parts on the face of the earth near Allah are its masjids, and the most hated parts on the face of the earth near Allah are its markets.” [Sahih Muslim]

The superiority of the masjids is obvious. People pray and worship Allah (subhana wa ta’ala) in mosques. They recite the Quran in it and encourage one another to obey Allah (subhana wa ta’ala). The masjid in the time of the Prophet (sallasal Allahu alaihi wa sallam) was also the head quarters of the Islamic State. Foreign delegations were received there, the consultative assembly was held in Masjid-e-Nabwi, and all matters of state were discussed therein.

On the other hand, malls and bazaars are where people forget Allah (subhana wa  ta'ala). The adhan and time of prayer go unnoticed. Shaitaan makes us indulge in such forbidden acts as fraud, lying, gossiping, checking people out and wasting money.

Malls and bazaars are disliked for the many sins that are likely to occur in them, least of which is taking Allah’s blessings and favors for granted. Shops taunt us with their glittery ware, flaunting before us all that we do not possess of material goods, while possessing these things is of no value to our everlasting life. We end up wasting our wealth which we could have used to come closer to Allah (subhana wa ta’ala).

Spending more time than necessary in market places is also a waste of another precious commodity -- time. “Hanging out”, “window shopping” and “killing time” are the very antithesis of an Islamic understanding of life. During an exam does any sane person do anything except focus on getting the exam questions answered correctly? We are in an exam until we die. What we do every second that we are alive, counts in the final assessment. We can’t afford to waste time. The purpose of life is simply to qualify for Allah’s Grace and His granting us everlasting happiness in Jannah. There is no other purpose to life.