Source: Fatawa ‘Ulama-e-Hadith, Volume 09
What do the scholars of Islam say regarding this issue:
A military officer constructed a mosque solely with his personal funds. Does such a mosque carry the legal status of a Shari‘ah-recognized mosque? And will he receive reward for the prayers offered therein by worshippers?
If there is no Shari‘ah-based impediment in the establishment of the mosque, then it undoubtedly holds the status of a mosque under Islamic law, and the individual (the army officer) who constructed it will indeed receive reward for the prayers offered by worshippers within it.
However, certain disqualifying conditions (شرعی موانعات) would prevent it from being considered a legitimate mosque. These include:
① If the mosque is built using illicit (ḥarām) wealth
② If it is constructed on usurped (maġṣūbah) land
③ If the land is jointly owned and the mosque was built without permission from the other partners
④ If it was built with the intention of show-off, pride, or competition
⑤ If it was established to harm another mosque or in opposition to it
Such a mosque would not be recognized as a legitimate mosque under Islamic law.
Tafsir al-Madārik states:
"Every mosque that is constructed for pride, showing off, reputation, or any purpose other than seeking the pleasure of Allah, or with impure wealth, is akin to Masjid al-Ḍirār (the Mosque of Harm)."
Tafsir al-Kashshāf reports:
"‘Atāʾ said: When Allah opened the cities through the hand of ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), he instructed the Muslims to construct mosques, but prohibited the construction of two mosques in one area where one would harm the other."
Tafsir Aḥmadī criticizes the misguided zeal of contemporary clerics:
"It is astonishing that the zealous scholars of our era build mosques in every corner out of desire for fame, dominance, and following ancestral traditions—without pondering the severity of these actions as illustrated by the relevant Qur’anic verses and narratives."
If the mosque in question is free from these disqualifying factors and was built sincerely for the sake of Allah, then it is absolutely recognized as a Shari‘ah-valid mosque, and the person who constructed it will earn reward for the prayers offered by others in it.
Allah knows best.
Written by: ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq Multānī
Reviewed by: Shaykh Sayyid Naẓīr Ḥusayn
(Fatāwā Naẓīriyyah, Vol. 1, p. 216)
❖ Question
What do the scholars of Islam say regarding this issue:
A military officer constructed a mosque solely with his personal funds. Does such a mosque carry the legal status of a Shari‘ah-recognized mosque? And will he receive reward for the prayers offered therein by worshippers?
❖ Answer
If there is no Shari‘ah-based impediment in the establishment of the mosque, then it undoubtedly holds the status of a mosque under Islamic law, and the individual (the army officer) who constructed it will indeed receive reward for the prayers offered by worshippers within it.
However, certain disqualifying conditions (شرعی موانعات) would prevent it from being considered a legitimate mosque. These include:
① If the mosque is built using illicit (ḥarām) wealth
② If it is constructed on usurped (maġṣūbah) land
③ If the land is jointly owned and the mosque was built without permission from the other partners
④ If it was built with the intention of show-off, pride, or competition
⑤ If it was established to harm another mosque or in opposition to it
Such a mosque would not be recognized as a legitimate mosque under Islamic law.
❖ Relevant References from Classical Tafsir
Tafsir al-Madārik states:"Every mosque that is constructed for pride, showing off, reputation, or any purpose other than seeking the pleasure of Allah, or with impure wealth, is akin to Masjid al-Ḍirār (the Mosque of Harm)."
Tafsir al-Kashshāf reports:"‘Atāʾ said: When Allah opened the cities through the hand of ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him), he instructed the Muslims to construct mosques, but prohibited the construction of two mosques in one area where one would harm the other."
Tafsir Aḥmadī criticizes the misguided zeal of contemporary clerics:"It is astonishing that the zealous scholars of our era build mosques in every corner out of desire for fame, dominance, and following ancestral traditions—without pondering the severity of these actions as illustrated by the relevant Qur’anic verses and narratives."
❖ Final Ruling
If the mosque in question is free from these disqualifying factors and was built sincerely for the sake of Allah, then it is absolutely recognized as a Shari‘ah-valid mosque, and the person who constructed it will earn reward for the prayers offered by others in it.
Allah knows best.
Written by: ʿAbd al-Ḥaqq MultānīReviewed by: Shaykh Sayyid Naẓīr Ḥusayn
(Fatāwā Naẓīriyyah, Vol. 1, p. 216)
