Continuation of the answer: What is the ruling if the mosque is far from some of the worshippers, and then another mosque is built near them?
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The questioner : The ruling on building a prayer hall in a populated area where there is already a mosque in the same area, but the prayer hall serves an old district. The district has a population of no less than five thousand, and there is only this one mosque. The mosque is naturally far from some people—half a kilometer from some, three hundred meters from others, and some have to drive, which takes ten minutes. So, a prayer hall was built in the middle of the area so that the distance for those who are half a kilometer away would be two hundred or three hundred meters. What is the ruling on building it?
The Shaykh : Do you mean, as it seems clear from your question, the distinction between a prayer hall and a mosque?
The questioner : The distinction between a prayer hall; of course, the mosque is the main mosque.
The Shaykh : You described it using two terms, mosque and prayer hall. Is the verbal distinction also a substantive distinction?
The questioner : No, that was not my intention.
The Shaykh : Then why don't you say there is a mosque that is so far away, and then another mosque was built?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because I was afraid it might be considered a prayer hall, meaning something other than a mosque.
The questioner : No, no, it is a mosque.
The Shaykh : Then it is a mosque, so we drop the term prayer hall.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because a prayer hall does not carry the rulings that apply to a mosque. So, after clarifying this question, a question arises: What is the intent of the question? Do you or others observe that there is a fear that this new mosque, which was just called a prayer hall, might be a mosque built for harm, or what is the motivation for the question?
The questioner : No, that was not my intention.
The Shaykh : Then what is the intent?
The questioner : Of my question.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : My question is actually that I live in this area, and when we looked at the area, we found that the number of worshippers was small.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And the distance discourages people from praying.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Because of their advanced age and so on.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So we thought about building a mosque there.
The Shaykh : Another mosque.
The questioner : A small mosque, meaning one that can accommodate.
The student : The congregation.
The student : The congregation, about one hundred and fifty people. One hundred and fifty men used to pray there. So we said, perhaps it will be a seed to encourage people in a new neighborhood to have a mosque where the elderly, people who have been absent from the congregation, and the young people can pray. Then, if Allah wills, it will give them a boost to care about the congregational prayer. And those who have excuses will have an incentive, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : This is the purpose.
The Shaykh : Okay, is the adhan of the first mosque not heard in the same location as the other mosque?
The questioner : It is heard everywhere, even in the distant mosques.
The Shaykh : I mean the natural adhan, not the one amplified by a loudspeaker.
The questioner : No, it is not heard.
The Shaykh : It is not heard, that is the case.
The questioner : The natural adhan is not heard.
The Shaykh : But with a loudspeaker, it is heard.
The questioner : With a loudspeaker, it is heard, yes.
The Shaykh : Of course, this is heard from kilometers away.
The questioner : From long distances.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : The entire district hears the big mosque.
The Shaykh : That is the situation. So the answer is that it is permissible, without doubt.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. In fact, this is covered by the hadith reported in Sunan Abu Dawud and others, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the building of mosques in residential areas. So the best thing you can do, if Allah wills, is to build it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The student : Actually, Brother Abu Bandar mentioned to me yesterday and I answered him in a manner similar to what you mentioned.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : But I was surprised that some of the brothers there attributed to you the statement that this matter is not permissible. So I told him, I told him, it is one of two things: either the question was not clarified to the Shaykh, which is what I think, or the Shaykh was lied about.
The Shaykh : Correct, you are right. That is the answer.
The student : And so I told him, since we are going to the Shaykh tomorrow, ask the Shaykh.
The Shaykh : All right.
The Shaykh : Do you mean, as it seems clear from your question, the distinction between a prayer hall and a mosque?
The questioner : The distinction between a prayer hall; of course, the mosque is the main mosque.
The Shaykh : You described it using two terms, mosque and prayer hall. Is the verbal distinction also a substantive distinction?
The questioner : No, that was not my intention.
The Shaykh : Then why don't you say there is a mosque that is so far away, and then another mosque was built?
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because I was afraid it might be considered a prayer hall, meaning something other than a mosque.
The questioner : No, no, it is a mosque.
The Shaykh : Then it is a mosque, so we drop the term prayer hall.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Because a prayer hall does not carry the rulings that apply to a mosque. So, after clarifying this question, a question arises: What is the intent of the question? Do you or others observe that there is a fear that this new mosque, which was just called a prayer hall, might be a mosque built for harm, or what is the motivation for the question?
The questioner : No, that was not my intention.
The Shaykh : Then what is the intent?
The questioner : Of my question.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : My question is actually that I live in this area, and when we looked at the area, we found that the number of worshippers was small.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : And the distance discourages people from praying.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Because of their advanced age and so on.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So we thought about building a mosque there.
The Shaykh : Another mosque.
The questioner : A small mosque, meaning one that can accommodate.
The student : The congregation.
The student : The congregation, about one hundred and fifty people. One hundred and fifty men used to pray there. So we said, perhaps it will be a seed to encourage people in a new neighborhood to have a mosque where the elderly, people who have been absent from the congregation, and the young people can pray. Then, if Allah wills, it will give them a boost to care about the congregational prayer. And those who have excuses will have an incentive, if Allah wills.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The questioner : This is the purpose.
The Shaykh : Okay, is the adhan of the first mosque not heard in the same location as the other mosque?
The questioner : It is heard everywhere, even in the distant mosques.
The Shaykh : I mean the natural adhan, not the one amplified by a loudspeaker.
The questioner : No, it is not heard.
The Shaykh : It is not heard, that is the case.
The questioner : The natural adhan is not heard.
The Shaykh : But with a loudspeaker, it is heard.
The questioner : With a loudspeaker, it is heard, yes.
The Shaykh : Of course, this is heard from kilometers away.
The questioner : From long distances.
The Shaykh : That is it.
The questioner : The entire district hears the big mosque.
The Shaykh : That is the situation. So the answer is that it is permissible, without doubt.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Yes, indeed. In fact, this is covered by the hadith reported in Sunan Abu Dawud and others, in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the building of mosques in residential areas. So the best thing you can do, if Allah wills, is to build it.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : Welcome.
The student : Actually, Brother Abu Bandar mentioned to me yesterday and I answered him in a manner similar to what you mentioned.
The Shaykh: Yes.
The student : But I was surprised that some of the brothers there attributed to you the statement that this matter is not permissible. So I told him, I told him, it is one of two things: either the question was not clarified to the Shaykh, which is what I think, or the Shaykh was lied about.
The Shaykh : Correct, you are right. That is the answer.
The student : And so I told him, since we are going to the Shaykh tomorrow, ask the Shaykh.
The Shaykh : All right.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.