Fear of Disrespect to a Mosque in a Bazaar Due to People Coming and Going

Question

There is a mosque situated in a bazaar, and the people of the bazaar fill water from the mosque’s tap — is this correct or not? Also, people come into the mosque’s washrooms and leave filth there; also, village women come and sit in the mosque and eat food and the like, because of which lizards and other insects come into the mosque, and much other disrespect takes place — to the extent that at times people have even been seen drinking an intoxicating cannabis brew in the washroom.

Answer

Although locking the mosque outside the prayer times is also correct, it is not appropriate, since people will face hardship regarding water. To stop the wrong things done in the mosque, the mosque’s muezzin should admonish them, or a notice should be written and put up; when they are forbidden again and again, it is hoped that they will comply.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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