Virtues of Building Mosques in the Light of the Qur’an
Excerpt from: Aḥkām Masājid by Shaykh Muḥammad Munīr Qamar
❖ Qur’anic Verses
Allah ﷻ mentions the excellence of constructing and maintaining mosques in Sūrat al-Tawbah (17–18):
﴿مَا كَانَ لِلْمُشْرِكِينَ أَن يَعْمُرُوا مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ شَاهِدِينَ عَلَىٰ أَنفُسِهِم بِالْكُفْرِ ۚ أُولَٰئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ وَفِي النَّارِ هُمْ خَالِدُونَ . إِنَّمَا يَعْمُرُ مَسَاجِدَ اللَّهِ مَنْ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ وَأَقَامَ الصَّلَاةَ وَآتَى الزَّكَاةَ وَلَمْ يَخْشَ إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۖ فَعَسَىٰ أُولَٰئِكَ أَن يَكُونُوا مِنَ الْمُهْتَدِينَ .﴾
"It is not for the polytheists to maintain the mosques of Allah while they testify against themselves to disbelief. For them, their deeds are void, and in the Fire they will abide eternally. The mosques of Allah are only maintained by those who believe in Allah and the Last Day, establish prayer, give zakāh, and fear none but Allah. It is they who are expected to be among the guided."
❖ Commentary of Scholars
Mawlānā Thanaullah Amritsari (رحمه الله), the great opponent of false creeds and the one who triumphed in mubāhalah against the Qādiyānīs, writes in his Tafsīr Thanāʾī:
- The polytheists thought that maintaining Masjid al-Ḥarām would earn them reward with Allah.
- But in Allah’s law, it is impossible for polytheists—who themselves admit their disbelief—to truly maintain Allah’s mosques.
- Mosques are centers of pure tawḥīd and are only the right of monotheists.
- The deeds of disbelievers are void, and their abode is eternal Hell.
- True maintenance of mosques is done only by those who:
- Believe in Allah and the Last Day,
- Establish ṣalāh,
- Give zakāh,
- And fear none but Allah.
- Real “ʿimārat al-masājid” (prospering of mosques) means that they become places of sincere worship of Allah alone.
Reference: Tafsīr Thanāʾī, p.226 (Thanāʾī Academy, Lahore)
❖ Certificate from Allah
Thus, those who sincerely serve the cause of mosque construction and maintenance receive a divine certificate from Allah ﷻ:
- They are true believers,
- They establish prayer,
- They give zakāh,
- And they are among those guided.
❖ Further References
For detailed exegesis of these verses, see:
- Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr (2/340–341, Dār al-Maʿrifah)
- Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī (6/58, Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyyah)
- Tafsīr Mawlānā Shabbīr Ahmad ʿUthmānī (p.254, West Germany edition)
- And other classical tafsīr works.
