The Mosque Imam Standing in the Middle

Question

The plan of our mosque is as follows: [Diagram: plan of the mosque; at the top “west”, at the bottom “east”, on the right “north”. Three rectangles, aligned on the northern side, run from top to bottom: “inner part of the mosque”; below it the “mosque veranda”, projecting to the south (marked “4 gaz”; gaz — a unit of length, about a yard, ≈ 0.9 m); below that the “mosque courtyard”, projecting further south (marked “4 gaz extra, south”).

Answer

The imam should stand in such a place that, within the bounds of the mosque, the worshippers to his north and to his south are equal on both sides. The same ruling applies to the veranda and to the courtyard of the mosque.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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