the supporting routes pass through transmitters whose memory is weak, yet who are otherwise reliable and have not been abandoned. I do not think that any of the chains under discussion meet this condition. I say this even though I have examined only the first chain; it contains al-Kalbī, who has been discarded, so his report is rejected and furnishes no corroboration. Allah knows best. Moreover, had these chains been as sound as al-Suyūṭī imagined, Ibn Kathīr himself would certainly have noted that—especially since he is more versed in ḥadīth and its hidden defects than al-Suyūṭī, as is well known.

In short, the main reliance in this matter is on the ḥadīth of ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Abī Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). It proves what we have stated concerning the permissibility of asking and giving charity inside the mosque. Abū Dāwūd headed the narration with a related title: “Chapter: Asking in the Mosques.”

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked about this very issue, and he answered as follows:

“By default, begging is forbidden both inside and outside the mosque unless one is in genuine need. If a person is truly needy and asks in the mosque without harming anyone—whether by stepping over people’s necks or in any other way—does not lie about his circumstances, and does not raise his voice in a manner that disturbs those present (for example, by addressing the preacher while he is delivering the sermon, or distracting people who are listening to knowledge), then it is permissible. And Allah knows best.” (From his Fatāwā)

Al-Suyūṭī, in the aforementioned epistle, summarized the matter as follows: