Ruling on Offering Congregational Prayer on Different Floors of a Multi-Storey Mosque

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

❖ Question​

Our mosque has three floors. Depending on the weather, the congregational prayer is sometimes held on the top floor, sometimes on the middle floor, and sometimes on the ground floor. A certain individual claims that the Jumuʿah and congregational prayers should only be held on the ground floor, asserting it has superiority over the other floors. Is there any specific virtue or distinction for the ground floor in Shariah, or are all floors equal in terms of performing congregational prayers?

❖ Answer​

All three floors of the mosque are equal. Jumuʿah and regular congregational prayers may be held on any floor with the same validity and reward. No floor has superiority over another in this regard.

Evidence from Sahih Bukhari:
Abu Hurairah (رضي الله عنه) performed obligatory prayer with the Imam on the roof of the mosque, proving the permissibility of praying on upper levels.

(Reference: Maulana Muhammad Yunus Dehlavi, Ahl-e-Hadith Gazette, Delhi, Vol. 8, Issue 21)