Whoever ate garlic or onion should keep away from us—or he said: from our mosque—and stay at home
Chapter: Prohibiting one who has eaten garlic, onions, or leeks, and other things that have an offensive odor from coming to the masjid, until that smell has gone away, and such a person should be expelled from the masjid
Authentic
hadith of Sahih Muslim
Sahih Muslim 564c
Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said:
"Whoever ate garlic or onion should keep away from us—or he said: from our mosque—and stay at home." The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was brought a pot containing green legumes. Upon noticing it had an odor, he asked and was informed of the legumes therein. He said: "Bring it near" to one of his Companions who was with him. On seeing that he disliked eating it, he said: "Eat, for indeed, I privately converse with one you do not converse with." In a version by Muslim on the authority of Jābir ibn ‘Abdullah, he reported that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever ate from this herb, the garlic—and another time he said: Whoever ate onion, garlic, and leeks—should not approach our mosque, for the angels are offended by what offends the children of Adam."
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade the one who ate garlic or onion from going to the mosque so as not to offend his brothers, attending the congregational prayer, with their smell. It is a prohibition of Tanzīh (what is not strictly forbidden) from going to the mosque, not from eating them because they are from the permissible foods. The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) was brought a pot containing vegetables, and when he sensed an odor therein and was informed of what it contained, he refrained from eating it and brought it near to one of his Companions to eat from it; however, he disliked eating from it in imitation of the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him), who said upon seeing him: Eat, for indeed, I converse with the angels through the revelation.
The Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) informed that the angels are offended by unpleasant odors just like people.
Lessons
It is prohibited for whoever ate garlic, onion, or leek to go to mosques.
The same ruling applies to everything that has an unpleasant odor that those praying find offensive, such as the smell of smoke, tobacco, and the like.
The cause of prohibition is the odor. If such an odor no longer exists due to excessive cooking or anything else, then it is no longer disliked.
It is disliked to eat these things for one who has to attend prayer in the mosque, so that he does not miss the congregation in the mosque, as long as he does not eat them as a ploy to escape the obligation of attending, in which case it is prohibited.
The Prophet's abstention from eating garlic and the like is not by way of prohibition but because of conversing with Jibrīl (Gabriel) (peace be upon him).
The Prophet's excellent approach in teaching, as he coupled the ruling with the clarification of its cause to reassure the addressee by letting him know the rationale behind such a ruling.
Al-Qādi said: Based on analogy, scholars decided that this applies to places, other than mosques, where people gather for prayer, like the Eid praying area, funerals, and their likes from places where people gather for worship. The same applies to knowledge and Dhikr assemblies, banquets, and the like. However, this does not apply to markets and similar places.
Scholars said: This Hadīth includes evidence on forbidding one who has eaten garlic and the like from entering the mosque, even if it is empty because it is the angels' place and given the general indication of the Hadīths.
Explanation in Arabic
نَهَى النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم مَن أَكلَ ثومًا أو بَصلًا أن يأتي المسجد، حتى لا يؤذيَ إخوانَه ممن يحضرون صلاة الجماعة بريحهما، وهو نهيُ تنزيهٍ عن إتيان المسجد، لا عن أكلِهما؛ لأنهما من الأطعمة المباحة، وقد أُتيَ صلى الله عليه وسلم بِقِدْرٍ فيه خضروات، فلما شمَّ فيها ريحًا وأُخبِر بما فيها امتنع مِن أكلِها وقَرَّبها إلى بعض أصحابه ليأكل منها، فكره الأكل اقتداء به، فلما رآه صلى الله عليه وسلم قال: كُلْ؛ فإني أناجي الملائكة بالوحي.
وأَخبرَ النبيُّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أن الملائكة تتأذّى من الروائح الكريهة، كما يتأذى الناس منها.
النهي عن إتيان المساجد لمن أكل ثومًا، أو بصلًا، أو كراثًا.
يلحق بهذه الأشياء، كلّ ذي رائحة كريهة يتأذى منها المصلون، كرائحة الدُّخان والتَّبْغِ ونحو ذلك.
علة المنع الرائحة، فإذا زالت بكثرة الطبخ أو بغير ذلك؛ زالت الكراهة.
كراهة أكل هذه الأشياء لمن عليه حضور الصلاة في المسجد؛ لئلا تفوته الجماعة في المسجد، ما لم يأكلها حيلة على إسقاط الحضور، فيحرم.
امتناع النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عن أكل الثوم ونحوه، ليس لتحريمه، وإنما لمناجاته جبريل عليه السلام.
حسن تعليم النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، حيث يَقرُن الحكم ببيان سببه؛ ليطمئن المخاطَب بمعرفة الحكمة.
قال القاضي: وقاس العلماء على هذا مجامع الصلاة غير المسجد كمصلّى العيد والجنائز ونحوها من مجامع العبادات، وكذا مجامع العلم والذكر والولائم ونحوها، ولا يلتحق بها الأسواق ونحوها.
قال العلماء: وفي هذا الحديث دليل على منع آكل الثوم ونحوه من دخول المسجد -وإن كان خاليًا- لأنه مَحلُّ الملائكة، ولعموم الأحاديث.
Scholars’ grades
Scholar
Grade
Applies to
Work
Muslimd. 261 AH
Authenticصحيح
The hadith
صحيح مسلمNo. 564
Grades of other versions (5)
WeakAl-Albaniضعيف — ضعيف الترغيب (208)
Ibn Hajar al-Asqalaniفيه] يحيى بن راشد ضعيف — فتح الباري لابن حجر (2/400)
Al-Haythamiفيه يحيى بن راشد البراء البصري وهو ضعيف ووثقه ابن حبان وقال يخطئ ويخالف وبقية رجاله ثقات — مجمع الزوائد (20/2)
Al-Mundhiriرواته ثقات إلا يحيى بن راشد البصري — الترغيب والترهيب (1/177)
Al-Tabaraniلم يروه عن هشام القردوسي إلا يحيى بن راشد، تفرد به سعيد بن عفير — المعجم الصغير (37)
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