Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.  (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

Assalamoalaikum bro Burhan.

I recently read a article about a few muslim women in a small town in southern India who have come together to built their own mosque, as they feel they are being neglected by the man dominated jamaat in their area.

Can you please let me know how can the ullama-e-deen stay quiet in India when such a act is going to be committed? Surely it is obsurd?

Jazakallah khair for addressing my question. 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Women build own Mosque

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

It is indeed meritorious and a good deed in Islam if some believers, regardless of whether they are men and women together, or men alone, or women alone, strive to build a mosque for the worship of their Lord…provided the mosque is open and available for all believers, men and women, to worship their Lord Most High.

If some sisters fear they or their rights are being neglected in a community (which of-course should not happen in a God-fearing community), there is absolutely no harm if they strive to build a mosque where all believers are welcome to worship their Lord according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws).

What would not be acceptable, nor would it be considered righteousness, is if some sisters build a mosque only for sisters to worship, or appoint a sister as the ‘imam’ of the mosque to lead their prayers, etc. But if some sisters wish to strive together and build a mosque where all believers are welcomed and allowed to worship their Lord according to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (saws), it would indeed be considered a righteous deed by the sisters in the Sight of Allah Subhanah.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan