Ruling on Demolishing an Abandoned Mosque to Build a New One
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, p. 291
❖ Question:
In a village, there was a mosque, but due to certain compulsions, the people migrated and settled elsewhere. The mosque is now abandoned. Can those who left the village demolish that mosque and use its materials to build a new mosque at their new location?
❖ Answer:
الحمد لله، والصلاة والسلام على رسول الله، أما بعد!
- If the old village has been completely vacated, with no residents remaining, and no one is expected to repopulate it, and the place is so far from the new settlement that it is not possible for the people to pray there regularly, then it is permissible to demolish that mosque and use its materials to build a new mosque at the new location.
- Leaving the old mosque abandoned would result in its ruin, and its materials — such as roofing and other fixtures — would go to waste. The Prophet ﷺ forbade wasting wealth, and preventing such waste is even more important in the case of a mosque.
- Furthermore, Allah ﷻ does not burden a soul beyond its capacity. Since the people had no choice but to migrate, and there is no one left to maintain the old mosque, this necessity allows them to demolish it and reconstruct it at their new place of residence.
- Abandoning a mosque and leaving it desolate is a serious wrong. Therefore, it is better and more appropriate to rebuild the mosque in the new settlement rather than leave it to ruin.
Conclusion:It is permissible, due to necessity, to demolish an abandoned mosque and use its materials to build a new mosque at the community’s new location.
