Source: Fatawa ‘Ilmiyyah, Volume 1 – Kitab al-Masajid, Page 238❖ Question:
Adjacent to our village, there is another village that has an old mosque. The villagers have now built a new mosque, due to which the old mosque has been completely abandoned. The question is: Can we convert this old mosque into a school, or demolish its structure to establish an Eidgah in its place? Please clarify the Shari'ah ruling on this issue in light of the Qur'an and Sunnah.
❖ Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ‘alā Rasūlillāh, Ammā ba‘d!
It is preferable not to alter the mosque; rather, efforts should be made to revive and populate it. However, if the rightly-guided and sound-minded people of the village unanimously agree to convert the mosque into an Eidgah, then according to the research of Ḥāfiẓ ‘Abdullāh Rūpṛī (رحمه الله), there is no harm in doing so.
❖ Evidence:
① Practice of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (رضي الله عنه):
He expanded a road by incorporating a portion of a mosque into it due to the narrowness of the passage.
Reference: Fatāwā Ibn Taymiyyah (Fatāwā Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Vol. 1, Page 349)
② Practice of ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd (رضي الله عنه):
He exchanged a congregational mosque with date merchants and relocated it to another place. Later, a market was established at its former location.
Reference: Ibid.
❖ Opposing Opinion:
On the contrary, some scholars hold the opinion that once a mosque is established at a place, it cannot be altered or changed until the Day of Judgment.
Reference: Shahādat, July 1999
وَاللهُ أَعلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
