Source: Fatāwā ʿUlamāʾ-e-Ḥadīth, Volume 09
By: Muḥammad Yūnus – Instructor, Madrasah Ḥaḍrat Miyān Ṣāḥib (R.A.), Ahl-e-Ḥadīth Gazette Delhi, Vol. 8, Issue 20
To the south of the mosque, there is a large shop under mosque ownership. A shoemaker (Chamār) has rented it and operates a shoe factory in it.
Above this shop is a second floor, containing:
On the third floor, a residential apartment has been constructed, where the Imām resides with his wife and children.
One person is objecting, insisting the Imām should not house his family in this residence, claiming such domestic use is not permissible.
The Imām responds that this place is not the actual mosque, so household residence should not be forbidden.
Kindly clarify:
Is the objection valid, or is the Imām's explanation correct?
✔ The shop under the mosque is not considered part of the mosque (masjid) in terms of rulings (i.e., it does not carry the sanctity of the prayer area).
✔ If a shoemaker operates his business there, and above that there is a bathroom area where impurities are cleansed, then:
➤ There is no objection to the Imām residing with his family on the floor above that.
➤ There is no valid reason for prohibition.
➤ It is permissible for an Imām to live with his wife and children on the third floor of a building that is not part of the sanctified prayer space of the mosque.
➤ The objection raised by the individual is not valid based on sharʿī principles.
By: Muḥammad Yūnus – Instructor, Madrasah Ḥaḍrat Miyān Ṣāḥib (R.A.), Ahl-e-Ḥadīth Gazette Delhi, Vol. 8, Issue 20
❖ Question:
To the south of the mosque, there is a large shop under mosque ownership. A shoemaker (Chamār) has rented it and operates a shoe factory in it.
Above this shop is a second floor, containing:
- Ablution area (wudūʾ khānah)
- Bath area (ghusl khānah)
- Room for the muʾadhdhin (caller to prayer)
On the third floor, a residential apartment has been constructed, where the Imām resides with his wife and children.
One person is objecting, insisting the Imām should not house his family in this residence, claiming such domestic use is not permissible.
The Imām responds that this place is not the actual mosque, so household residence should not be forbidden.
Kindly clarify:
Is the objection valid, or is the Imām's explanation correct?
❖ Answer:
✔ The shop under the mosque is not considered part of the mosque (masjid) in terms of rulings (i.e., it does not carry the sanctity of the prayer area).
✔ If a shoemaker operates his business there, and above that there is a bathroom area where impurities are cleansed, then:
➤ There is no objection to the Imām residing with his family on the floor above that.
➤ There is no valid reason for prohibition.
❖ Summary:
➤ It is permissible for an Imām to live with his wife and children on the third floor of a building that is not part of the sanctified prayer space of the mosque.
➤ The objection raised by the individual is not valid based on sharʿī principles.
