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Ruling on Demolishing a Mosque to Construct Shops

Source: “Ahkam wa Masail in the Light of the Qur’an and Hadith”, Volume 02

❖ Question:​


If a place has been dedicated for prayer and used for Salah over a long period, thus becoming a masjid, is it permissible in Islam to demolish that mosque, build shops on the site, and then reconstruct a mosque above those shops?
These shops are then rented out, and non-Muslims also engage in buying and selling within them.

❖ Answer:​


Once a place has become a mosque in the Shar‘i (Islamic legal) sense, it is not permissible to construct shops or any other structure over it—except for areas not designated as places of prostration (Sajdah Gah).


The Qur’an states:


﴿وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّـهِ﴾
“And indeed, the mosques belong to Allah.”


This verse emphasizes the sacred status of mosques and that they are exclusively for the worship of Allah. Thus, repurposing such space for commercial or non-religious use is not allowed in Islamic law.


(Fatawa Thanaiyyah, Volume 1, Page 380)
 
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