We have a mosque that is difficult to descend to, so we wanted to build another mosque elsewhere. What is the ruling on this, given that the first mosque will be abandoned?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
The brother Ahmad says that we are in a rural area and live in a small village. We have a mosque, and most of the residents have moved to a place that is not very far away, making it difficult for the elderly to descend to this mosque. We wanted to build a mosque closer to us, knowing that the first mosque will be abandoned. What is the ruling if we do this? May Allah reward you with good. This question and this action must be
The Shaykh:
referred to the scholars in your country, whether the judges or the Ministry of Awqaf, to look into this matter and do what is required. Because moving the mosque to another place or building a mosque near another mosque requires the consideration of the specialists and doing what is necessary in that regard. We cannot say to you now, "Do it" or "Do not do it," because this requires the consideration of the specialists, an inspection of the location, and an assessment of the residents around the first mosque and the new mosque that is intended to be built, and doing what is most beneficial.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good and reward you. It is mentioned that the elderly cannot reach this mosque except with difficulty. Is that for a specific person?
The Shaykh:
The one who can reach the mosque, even with difficulty, should be patient, and he is rewarded for that.
The presenter:
We seek help from Allah.
The Shaykh:
This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the blind man who came to him and mentioned the difficulty he faced between himself and the mosque, and he had no guide suitable for him. He asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to grant him a dispensation to pray in his house. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, "Do you hear the call to prayer?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Then answer it, for I do not find a dispensation for you."
Similarly, in the statement of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) when he mentioned the concern of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) for the congregational prayer and attending the mosques, he saidSahih Muslim 654b, mentioning that they would bring a man who could not walk on his own, and only a man would hold him and stand him in the row. This indicates that if a Muslim is able to attend the congregational prayer, even with difficulty, he should be patient with that, and he has a great reward in it.
The presenter:
May Allah bless you, Shaykh Salih. So there is a difficulty that can be endured and a difficulty that cannot be endured.
The Shaykh:
The difficulty that would be faced by a sick person who cannot walk, or a person in a wheelchair, or one who has an enemy, a wild beast, or a confirmed fear between him and the mosque, this is an excuse, and he may pray in his place.
The brother Ahmad says that we are in a rural area and live in a small village. We have a mosque, and most of the residents have moved to a place that is not very far away, making it difficult for the elderly to descend to this mosque. We wanted to build a mosque closer to us, knowing that the first mosque will be abandoned. What is the ruling if we do this? May Allah reward you with good. This question and this action must be
The Shaykh:
referred to the scholars in your country, whether the judges or the Ministry of Awqaf, to look into this matter and do what is required. Because moving the mosque to another place or building a mosque near another mosque requires the consideration of the specialists and doing what is necessary in that regard. We cannot say to you now, "Do it" or "Do not do it," because this requires the consideration of the specialists, an inspection of the location, and an assessment of the residents around the first mosque and the new mosque that is intended to be built, and doing what is most beneficial.
The questioner:
May Allah reward you with good and reward you. It is mentioned that the elderly cannot reach this mosque except with difficulty. Is that for a specific person?
The Shaykh:
The one who can reach the mosque, even with difficulty, should be patient, and he is rewarded for that.
The presenter:
We seek help from Allah.
The Shaykh:
This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to the blind man who came to him and mentioned the difficulty he faced between himself and the mosque, and he had no guide suitable for him. He asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to grant him a dispensation to pray in his house. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him, "Do you hear the call to prayer?" He said, "Yes." He said, "Then answer it, for I do not find a dispensation for you."
Similarly, in the statement of Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) when he mentioned the concern of the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) for the congregational prayer and attending the mosques, he said
I have seen the time when no one stayed away from it, except a hypocrite, who was well known for his hypocrisy, whereas a man would be brought swaying (due to weakness) between two men till he was set up in a row.
ولقد رأيتنا وما يتخلف عنها إلا منافق معلوم النفاق، ولقد كان الرجل يؤتى به يهادى بين الرجلين حتى يقام في الصفThe presenter:
May Allah bless you, Shaykh Salih. So there is a difficulty that can be endured and a difficulty that cannot be endured.
The Shaykh:
The difficulty that would be faced by a sick person who cannot walk, or a person in a wheelchair, or one who has an enemy, a wild beast, or a confirmed fear between him and the mosque, this is an excuse, and he may pray in his place.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، لدينا مسجد يصعب النزول إليه، فأردنا أن نبني مسجدا غيره، فما حكم ذلك علما أن المسجد الأول سيهجر؟ — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.