Building a second mosque without necessity

Question

Some mischief-makers of our village kept obstructing the way of some well-meaning people and servants of the religion, and kept intriguing against these servants of the religion, who had, among other things, also established an Islamic madrasa in this area. On 13 Ramadan 1395 AH these mischief-makers suddenly attacked these well-meaning people while they were going to perform the Maghrib prayer; the attackers were armed with guns and cudgels, so the lives of these well-meaning people were in danger, and therefore…

Answer

Building a mosque for the pleasure of Allah is a deed of great reward and recompense. Building another mosque because of mutual displeasure, or in order to make a mosque desolate, is blameworthy and disliked in the Shari‘a. But if the mosque has been built and made waqf, then it too needs to be kept populated: do not set fire to it and do not make it desolate.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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