It is preferable to apply fragrance for salah

Commenting on the abovementioned verse, ‘Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Na’im al-Din Muradabadi رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه   has stated, “This means dressing in elegant clothing. According to another opinion, it implies combing the hair and applying fragrance. The Sunnah is to have a nice appearance before offering salah, because salah entails conversing with Allah Almighty. So, it is liked to have physical beauty and to apply fragrance when offering salah.”^[1] 

Foul smell of talking in the masjid

Dear Islamic brothers, this thought may enter the mind that I go to the masjid for all five daily salahs in neat and clean clothes by applying fragrance and do not damage the objects etc. found in the masjid, and   hence, I am protected from spreading foul smells that cause a desecration of the masjid. In reply to this, it is not necessary that only apparent things bring about foul smells in the masjid, rather the majority of us are suffering from such a disease which we do not even realize, and this disease also becomes a cause of foul smells in our masjids.

It has been narrated, “Those who backbite and talk in the masjid emit a foul smell from their mouth, leading to the angels complaining about them to Allah Almighty due to their foul smell.”^[2]

In light of this narration, we should analyse ourselves and our society to see whether we too are committing the sins of backbiting or engaging in worldly conversations in the masjid, as these also bring about a foul smell from the mouth. Have we ever paid attention to the fact that we should avoid useless speech in the masjid? Remember! The purpose of