Is it permissible to reserve a spot in the first row of the mosque and then leave for more than an hour?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is forbidden to reserve a spot in the mosque with a prayer rug or anything else before arriving. It is permissible for someone other than its owner to remove it and pray in its place. Whoever arrives first at a spot in the mosque for prayer or anything else has a greater right to it, and it is not permissible to displace him from it. Spreading out a prayer rug in the mosque in the absence of its owner is forbidden and an usurpation of the place. It must be removed, and it is considered an innovation that warrants punishment. People, especially those in authority, must denounce this action and prevent it.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/37782
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 37782
- 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