Ruling on using the church as a hall for activities for Muslim children
Question

                What is ruling on using the church as a hall for activities for Muslim children. There are no statues or crosses, just some faces on the ceiling.
Praise be to Allah.
	Firstly:

	It is makrooh for the Muslim to enter a church, because of 
	what it contains of images and statues.

	‘Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: We do not enter 
	their churches because of the statues and images that are in them. Narrated 
	by al-Bukhaari in a mu‘allaq report. 

	‘Abd ar-Razzaaq narrated this report with a mawsool isnaad 
	via Aslam, the freed slave of ‘Umar, who said: When ‘Umar came to Greater 
	Syria, a Christian man, who was one of their leaders, made some food for him 
	and said: I would like you to do me the honour of coming to visit me. ‘Umar 
	said to him: We do not enter your churches because of the images in them – 
	referring to the statues. End quote from Fath al-Baari (1/531-532).

	See also: Fath al-Baari by Ibn Rajab (3/240).

	Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	Maalik regarded it as makrooh to pray in synagogues and 
	churches, because of impurities brought in on their feet [as they do not 
	take off their shoes when entering their places of worship], and because of 
	the images in those places. He said: We do not enter them except in cases of 
	necessity. This was quoted by the author of at-Tahdheeb.

	Most of our companions – i.e., the Hanbalis – granted a 
	concession allowing Muslims to enter and pray in churches in which there are 
	no images. But some of them, including Ibn ‘Aqeel, regarded that as makrooh. 
	Some of them narrated two reports from Ahmad regarding it being makrooh.

	Many of our companions clearly stated that it is prohibited 
	to enter a house in which there are images on the walls, if one is not able 
	to remove them, whether it is a bathroom or otherwise. Among them are Ibn 
	Battah and al-Qaadi Abu Ya‘laa.

	The author of al-Mughni said that the apparent meaning 
	of Ahmad’s words indicates that it is makrooh but not haraam. He also 
	narrated that from Maalik.

	End quote from Fath al-Baari (3/240-241).

	Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) 
	said:

	The view adopted by most of our companions is that it makrooh 
	to enter a church in which there are images, so praying in it or in any 
	place in which there are images is even more disliked. This is the correct 
	view, concerning which there can be no doubt.

	End quote from al-Fataawa al-Kubra (5/327).

	Ibn al-Mundhir (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Praying in 
	churches is permissible, because they are included in the general meaning of 
	the hadith, “The earth has been made a place of prostration [i.e., prayer] 
	and a means of purification for me.” But it is makrooh to enter places in 
	which there are images, such as churches and other places.

	End quote from al-Awsat (2/194).

	With regard to what is reported from some of the early 
	generations that they prayed in churches, perhaps those churches were free 
	of images.

	Ibn Rajab (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	Ibn al-Mundhir and others narrated a condcession allowing 
	that – i.e., praying in churches – from a number of scholars including Abu 
	Moosa, al-Hasan, ash-Shu‘bi, an-Nakha‘i, ‘Umar ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, 
	al-Awzaa‘i, and Sa‘eed ibn ‘Abd al-‘Azeez, and this view was favoured by Ibn 
	al-Mundhir.

	However most of that which has been narrated from the early 
	generations concerning that has to do with individual cases that cannot be 
	general in application. Therefore it is possible to interpret them as 
	referring to churches in which there were no images.

	End quote from Fath al-Baari (3/241).

	With regard to the report that was quoted as evidence by Ibn 
	Qudaamah (may Allah have mercy on him), when he said:

	Ibn ‘Aa’idh narrated in Futooh ash-Shaam that when 
	‘Umar came to Greater Syria, the Christians made some food for him and 
	invited him, and he said: Where is it? They said: In the church. So he 
	refused to go, and he said to ‘Ali: Go with the people, and let them eat 
	lunch. So ‘Ali went with the people and they entered the church, and he and 
	the Muslims ate lunch. ‘Ali looked at the images and said: What blame would 
	there be on Ameer al-Mu’mineen [i.e., ‘Umar] if he came in and ate? This is 
	indicative of their unanimous agreement on the permissibility of entering 
	churches when there are images in them. End quote from al-Mughni 
	(10/203),

	Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned this 
	report in his book Ighaathat al-Lahfaan (1/290), and the commentator 
	on the book made a comment on it which indicates that the report is da‘eef 
	(weak), as he said:

	Ibn Qudaamah attributed this to Ibn ‘Aa’idh in Futooh 
	ash-Shaam. It was narrated by Ibn ‘Asaakir in Taarekh Dimashq 
	(42/6) via Ibn ‘Aa’idh from al-Waleed who said: ‘Abdullah ibn Ziyaad ibn 
	Sam‘aan and Hishaam ibn Sa‘d told us from Naafi‘… And he narrated a similar 
	story. But ‘Abdullah ibn Ziyaad is matrook (i.e., his hadith is rejected) 
	and was accused of lying. End quote.

	Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:

	It should be noted that the words of ‘Umar clearly indicate 
	that what some shaykhs do, of attending churches that are filled with images 
	and statues, at the request of some people in authority and others, is 
	wrong. 

	End quote from Adaab az-Zafaaf (p. 165).

	Secondly:

	Another point that reinforces the prohibition on this matter 
	is the fact that allowing children to enter churches in your situation is 
	something for which there is no shar‘i need whatsoever. At the same time, it 
	may do a great deal of harm to their religious commitment, because at this 
	age religious commitment is usually not yet fully established in children’s 
	hearts, so letting them become accustomed to entering churches may weaken 
	the sense of al-wala’ wal-bara’ [loyalty to fellow Muslims and disavowal of 
	disbelievers] in their hearts, may lead to a failure to resent disbelief and 
	places of disbelief, and a failure to disavow it in one’s heart, as we see 
	among many of those who enter places where evils are committed. Frequently 
	mixing with such people inevitably has an effect on the individual.

	Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have mercy on him) 
	said:

	We have seen that in the case of Jews and Christians who mix 
	with the Muslims, their degree of disbelief is less than that of others. We 
	have also seen that Muslims who mix a great deal with Jews and Christians 
	are weaker in faith than others who mix only with Muslims.

	End quote from Iqtida’ as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem (1/488).

	Conclusion:

	It is makrooh to enter churches in which there are images and 
	statues, and it is more emphatically makrooh – and may reach the point of 
	being haraam – if entering those places will result in negative consequences 
	and will not serve any significant shar‘i interest.

	And Allah knows best.