Is it permissible to expand the mosque by purchasing neighboring shops that have residences and a museum for non-Muslims above them?
It is permissible to expand the mosque by purchasing adjacent shops. The lower floor would be the mosque, but not the upper floor, so as not to prevent the entry of a disbeliever, someone in a state of major ritual impurity (junub), or a menstruating woman. It is valid to dedicate the lower floor as an endowment (waqf) without the upper floor, and vice versa. It is preferable to purchase the space above the shops to annex it to the mosque or to rent it out to someone who will not turn it into a museum, because museums often contain Sharia violations, such as statues.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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