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Fatwa CenterPraying in churches
Question
I want to go on holidays to a Western country. Are Muslims allowed to pray in churches?
Answer
Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
The majority of scholars permit praying in churches. But some scholars dislike doing so. It is said that it is dislikeable only because there are statues and pictures in it. The evidence for this is what is reported by al-Bukhari who said: " Umar Ibn al-Khattab said to a Christian man: 'We do not enter your churches because they contain statues and pictures'. Ibn Abbas used to pray in chapels unless they contained statues" .
So, we believe that it is permissible for you to pray in the church if it is clean and you cannot find another place. But the Muslim should not go often to churches as this might cause some people to speak badly of him.
Allah knows best.
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