Fatwa No : 85105
Constructing a Toilet by Demolishing the Courtyard of a Mosque

Constructing a Toilet by Demolishing the Courtyard of a Mosque

What do the honorable Muftis say regarding the following matter: In the mosque where I serve as the Imam, about six years ago, a portion of the left side of the mosque courtyard was used to build a room to store mosque mats and other items. Before the construction of this room, prayers were also performed in that area. Now, the mosque administration intends to demolish this storage room and build toilets (restrooms) in its place. Is it permissible for them to do so or not? A sketch of the mosque layout is provided below.

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

If the courtyard was indeed part of the mosque, and both by common understanding and according to the mosque administration it has always been regarded and treated as part of the mosque, then it remains a part of the mosque. It cannot be separated from the mosque for any other purpose. Therefore, in this situation, it was not permissible — even six years ago — to convert that area into a storage room, nor is it permissible now to build toilets there. However, if that area was not formally part of the mosque, then the actions mentioned in the question would be permissible according to Shariah.
Mufti Muhammad Shafi Usmani (رحمه الله), the Grand Mufti of Pakistan, writes in Jawahirul Fiqh, Volume 3, Page 125, in his treatise Adabul Masajid:
“It is absolutely impermissible to separate any part of the mosque from the mosque and construct something else on it, even if it is intended for the benefit of the mosque — such as making a water tank or staircase in the floor of the mosque. However, if at the time of constructing the mosque, a separate area for such purposes (like a tank or passage) is designated from the beginning, then it is permissible, as is commonly practiced.”

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

كما في الدر المختار: [فرع] لو بنى فوقه بيتا للإمام لا يضر لأنه من المصالح، أما لو تمت المسجدية ثم أراد البناء منع ولو قال عنيت ذلك لم يصدق تتارخانية، فإذا كان هذا في الواقف فكيف بغيره فيجب هدمه ولو على جدار المسجد، ولا يجوز أخذ الأجرة منه ولا أن يجعل شيئا منه مستغلا ولا سكنى بزازية. (4/ 358)
و في حاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار)؛ (قوله: أما لو تمت المسجدية) أي بالقول على المفتى به أو بالصلاة فيه على قولهما ط وعبارة التتارخانية، وإن كان حين بناه خلى بينه وبين الناس ثم جاء بعد ذلك يبني لا یترك اهـ (4/ 358) واللہ اعلم بالصواب