A Madrasa Below and a Mosque Above

Question

There is a mosque located on the upper storey, and beneath it is the madrasa building. The mosque’s staircase was demolished in the course of construction, and while the staircase is broken it is difficult to go up to the mosque; one can, however, easily go up by putting up a wooden ladder, but weak people cannot climb. In such a situation, what is the ruling on leaving the mosque empty and praying in the lower building, which is the madrasa?

Answer

The distinguishing feature of a mosque in the Shar‘i sense is that both the lower storey and the upper storey remain mosque. The arrangement whereby the lower storey is designated a madrasa, the upper storey remains a mosque, and one goes up by putting up a wooden ladder to perform the prayer, is not correct according to the Shari‘a.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.