Building another mosque when a mosque has fallen into desolation

Question

What do the scholars of the religion and the muftis of the firm Shari‘a say regarding this matter: a mosque, because the people of the neighbourhood have dispersed, has fallen into desolation — there is neither adhan nor a lamp; indeed, things have reached the point that its movable property is regarded as war booty (mal ghanima), so much so that its bucket, carpet and the like have been stolen from it. Most likely nothing of its movable property remains, while the mosque itself still exists.

Answer

It is better that its items be moved to the nearest mosque on the advice of the people of authority (ahl al-hall wa-l-‘aqd) of the neighbourhood. If that is not easy, it will be permissible to spend them on building a new mosque, and the sanctity of the old mosque will also remain as it was.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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