Is it permissible to build minarets on mosques, and are they a Sunnah or an innovation, and was this known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)?
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The questioner : The questioner, Abd al-Khaliq Hassan from the Lahij Governorate in Yemen, asks: Is it permissible to build minarets on mosques, and are they a Sunnah or an innovation, and was this known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Please clarify this for us, and may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : I do not know of minarets being known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), but the Muslims adopted minarets and approved of them, and we do not know of anyone who rejected them, except that some people may reject them because they did not exist in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). There is no doubt that they serve a noble purpose, as they are the visible sign of the mosque.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the adhan being raised from them is more effective, wider, and more comprehensive, so their purpose is a sought-after and praiseworthy one. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : I do not know of minarets being known in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family), but the Muslims adopted minarets and approved of them, and we do not know of anyone who rejected them, except that some people may reject them because they did not exist in the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family). There is no doubt that they serve a noble purpose, as they are the visible sign of the mosque.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : And the adhan being raised from them is more effective, wider, and more comprehensive, so their purpose is a sought-after and praiseworthy one. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.