Bringing children to the mosque

A question about bringing children to the mosque, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that children old enough to discern may be brought to the mosque to train in congregational prayer and mosque etiquette, kept beside their guardian, while children too young to discern should in principle not be brought; a guardian who must bring one keeps the child with him and does not pray in the front rows. ¹

The questioner asked about bringing children to the mosque for prayer. ¹

The Department answered that children old enough to discern may be brought to the mosque to train in congregational prayer and learn the etiquette and respect due to mosques; the guardian should keep his child beside him to guide him, and not leave him to play during the prayer and disturb worshippers, which would defeat the purpose of bringing him. ¹ It said that children too young to discern should in principle not be brought, since they cannot pray properly and are usually hard to control, and their presence often disturbs worshippers, soils the mosque or damages copies of the Qur'an and mosque property; averting harm takes precedence over securing benefit. ¹ It added that someone who has to bring such a child should not leave him alone, but keep him by his side and not pray in the front rows. ¹

Jordan's General Iftaa Department published this fatwa on aliftaa.jo as no. 3768, dated 14 May 2023. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.