Ruling on Reserving Spaces in the Mosque
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The questioner says: Shaykh, what is the ruling on a worshipper reserving a place for himself in the mosque?
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible to claim a specific place in the mosque, for the mosque is shared among the worshippers, and it belongs to whoever arrives first. Therefore, it is not permissible to claim or reserve a place, except for one who is sitting in the mosque and leaves for an excuse, such as performing wudu, or to relieve himself, and then returns. He has the right to his place if he leaves something there to preserve it for him, such as a stick or sandals. Yes.
The questioner:
Shaykh Salih, the elderly usually have their places known, Honorable Shaykh. For example, they find it difficult if another person comes and sits in their place.
The Shaykh:
Their places are known if they are accustomed to arriving early at the mosque and it happens that they leave for a brief need and return; in that case, they have the right. But they should place a marker in their place indicating that they will return to it. As for one who reserves a place and goes to sleep, or to buy and sell, or to attend to his errands, he has no right to do so, and he does not reserve a place in the mosque. Rather, when he comes, he will be wherever a place is available for him in the mosque. Yes.
The questioner says: Shaykh, what is the ruling on a worshipper reserving a place for himself in the mosque?
The Shaykh:
It is not permissible to claim a specific place in the mosque, for the mosque is shared among the worshippers, and it belongs to whoever arrives first. Therefore, it is not permissible to claim or reserve a place, except for one who is sitting in the mosque and leaves for an excuse, such as performing wudu, or to relieve himself, and then returns. He has the right to his place if he leaves something there to preserve it for him, such as a stick or sandals. Yes.
The questioner:
Shaykh Salih, the elderly usually have their places known, Honorable Shaykh. For example, they find it difficult if another person comes and sits in their place.
The Shaykh:
Their places are known if they are accustomed to arriving early at the mosque and it happens that they leave for a brief need and return; in that case, they have the right. But they should place a marker in their place indicating that they will return to it. As for one who reserves a place and goes to sleep, or to buy and sell, or to attend to his errands, he has no right to do so, and he does not reserve a place in the mosque. Rather, when he comes, he will be wherever a place is available for him in the mosque. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، [3772] حكم حجز الأماكن في المسجد - صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.