Is the Gallery Part of the Mosque or Outside It?

Question

There is a two-storey mosque whose upper-floor gallery projects outward, with a public road running beneath it — just as the galleries of mansions and buildings usually project outward. Zayd said that the gallery is in the outer part of the mosque, i.e. it is outside the mosque (kharij min al-masjid), so one who stands there and joins the congregation (jama‘a) will not receive a reward equal to that of the congregation.

Answer

The gallery that has been built above the road is outside the mosque. As long as there is room in the prayer hall (the mosque), one who stands in the gallery will not receive the reward of the mosque. But if the mosque has become full, then standing in the gallery out of necessity will not diminish the reward.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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