Is it permissible, Islamically, to demolish a mosque under construction on land donated by someone who does not own it, and which its true owner has claimed?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to build a mosque on usurped or stolen land. The owner of the land has the right to demand the demolition of whatever has been built on it without their permission, and this is obligatory, even if the building is a mosque. If the mosque remains despite the landowner's objection, then prayer in it is not permissible by consensus. Scholars have differed on the invalidity of the prayer and the obligation to repeat it. Based on this, the demolition of the aforementioned mosque is not merely permissible, but obligatory.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/176575
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 176575
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy