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Is it permissible to sell the current mosque, which is sufficient for the worshippers, in order to purchase a more spacious place in the future, while temporarily borrowing to pay part of the price until the sale is completed?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Whoever builds a mosque and allows people to pray in it, it ceases to be his property and becomes an endowment for Allah Almighty (waqf lillahi ta'ala). It is not permissible to sell it unless its benefits are disrupted, such as a mosque whose inhabitants have moved away, or if it becomes too small for its inhabitants and cannot be expanded in its current location. In such cases, it may be sold, and its price then used for another mosque. This is the view of the Hanbalis. However, Abu Hanifa, Malik, and Al-Shafi'i held that a mosque may not be sold at all. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah issued a fatwa permitting the replacement of a mosque for the sake of benefit, even if the first one could still be utilized. Accordingly, if the current mosque accommodates the worshippers, it is not permissible to sell it. The same applies if it becomes too small for the worshippers but can be expanded in its current location.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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