Q393 :A group of us were going in a car to a certain
mosque. One of us asked to be dropped to another mosque on the way.
Another objected and said that we are not allowed to proceed from one
mosque to another. We should all go to the same mosque. The correct
status?
A393 : If the obligatory prayer is not yet due, but
is quite soon, you may drop your friend at the mosque of his choice and
proceed to the other mosque if you so prefer. There may be very good
reasons for each of you preferring to pray in different mosques, such
as each of you choosing the one nearest to his home or place of work.
If there is ample time for you to reach from one to the other, then
that is perfectly all right. If the prayer is already called and the
congregation in the nearest mosque is just about to start, then it is
strongly discouraged to move on to another mosque. That gives the
appearance of rejection of a certain congregation, which a Muslim must
never do. If there is a good reason for doing so, such as having no
parking place near the first mosque, while it is easily available at
the other and you are quite sure that you can catch up with the
congregation in the more distant mosque, then you may proceed.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News – Jeddah )