Source: Ahkam wa Masā’il – The Chapter of Mosques, Vol. 1, p. 107
❖ The Question
What is the ruling regarding announcements in the mosque, such as those for public welfare or daily necessities?
❖ The Answer
Alhamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh. Ammā baʿd!
In Sharīʿah, making announcements about lost items inside the mosque is prohibited. Explicit prohibitions are found regarding this in Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim and other Sunan collections.
❖ The Hadith Evidence
Abū Hurayrah (RA) narrated that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
«مَنْ سَمِعَ رَجُلًا يَنْشُدُ ضَالَّةً فِي الْمَسْجِدِ فَلْيَقُلْ: لَا رَدَّهَا اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ، فَإِنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لَمْ تُبْنَ لِهَذَا»
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim – Kitāb al-Masājid, Bāb al-Nahy ʿan Nashd al-Ḍāllah fī al-Masjid wa mā yaqūl man samiʿa al-nāshid)
Translation:
Abū Hurayrah (RA) reported that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“If anyone hears a man making an announcement about a lost item in the mosque, he should say: ‘May Allah not return it to you,’ for the mosques were not built for this purpose.”
❖ Summary of the Ruling
❀ It is not permissible to announce lost items in the mosque.
❀ To preserve the sanctity of the mosque, such worldly announcements have been forbidden.
❀ This principle also provides general guidance that mosques should be reserved for worship and religious matters only, not for worldly affairs.
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
