First of all, we would like to stress that there is nothing wrong in performing congregational prayers at a clean place whether it is a rented room, a commercial place or a Mosque as long as the condition of the place purity is met.
Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi, former president of the Islamic Society of North America, states the following: “A Muslim can pray at any clean place. The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, is reported to have said, “The whole earth is rendered to me as Masjid…” The word Masjid means “the place of Sajdah or prostration”. Wherever the Sajdah is done that place is Masjid, whether a building built there for this purpose exists or not. We can take Masjid Al-Aqsa as a case in point. Allah referred to that holy place as Masjid whereas there was no building there.
Whatever place chosen by the Muslim community to have congregational prayers, Muslims should go there for such prayers, they should take that palce as their temporary Masjid. There is a great reward in Jama’ah prayers.
Sometimes people use the word ’Musalla’ instead of ‘Masjid’’ for a temporary worship place, because they either do not own that place or they do not consider that place as a permanent place of prayers. They want to avoid calling it a Masjid, because if they call it Masjid, then they have to keep it that way always. This is only a technical issue about the respect of that place. As far as the prayer is concerned wherever Muslims hold the Jama’ah prayers other Muslims should try to join them.”