Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ-e-Ḥadīth, Volume 09
A person intended to construct a mosque in his village and, for this purpose, he endowed the income of a piece of land until the mosque’s completion. Income continued to accumulate, but the construction has not yet commenced. Now, the donor wants to change his original plan due to a shift in circumstances:
- The village has little to no religious engagement;
- There are only one or two practicing Muslims, while others are nominal Muslims with no signs of religious observance.
He now wishes to redirect the funds to construct a mosque in another area where the religious benefit would be more impactful.
If the person uses the endowed income for the construction of a mosque in another location, there is:
✔ No Sharʿī accountability or sin upon him.
✘ No fidyah or kaffārah (expiation) is necessary.
The change in location is permissible, especially considering the lack of religious utility in the originally intended area. Since the construction was not initiated, and the funds are still under the original owner’s discretion, redirection toward a more beneficial cause (i.e., another mosque where it will be used by the Muslim community) is fully valid in Sharʿīah.
وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ وَعِلْمُه أَتَمّ
Written by: Muḥammad Bashīr ʿAfā Allāh ʿanhu
Approved by: Sayyid Muḥammad Nadhīr Ḥusayn
(Fatāwā Nadhīriyyah, Vol. 1, p. 206)
