Repairing the Mosque based on the Decision of the Board of Trustees
Is it permissible for the board of trustees of the mosque to act for the repair of the mosque and the other issues related to it without the permission of the custodian of the mosque?
Precaution demands that the permission of the custodian be obtained but if the custodian of the mosque disagrees with what is in the interest of the mosque or he doesn’t pay attention to them, the board of trustees can obtain the permission of the religious authority in that matter.
Decorating the Mosques
Is it permissible to decorate the mosques and hussainiyyahs?
There is no problem with it if the mosque is not decorated with gold and the picture of living creatures and on the condition that it does not lead to extravagance and the wasting of resources.
Using a Part of the Inner Chamber of the Mosque to Expand the Kitchen
In case a mosque needs a bigger kitchen as its current kitchen is too small, is it permissible to separate the kitchen from the mosque itself in order to expand it?
There is no issue with it if it doesn’t disturb the worshippers and it doesn’t reduce the place for performing prayers and it is a necessity for the mosque.
Expanding a Mosque into the Land of Another Mosque
There are two mosques which are built next to each other, one for summer and the other for winter, and the winter mosque is too small to meet the needs of people particularly in the month of Muharram; is it permissible to expand the winter mosque by taking some space from the summer mosque?
It is not permissible based on the obligatory precaution; however you can open a door from one mosque to the other.
Using the Things which Belong to the Mosque but which are No Longer Needed in the Mosque to Help the Poor
If a mosque has extra carpets or other things which are not needed in it, is it permissible to give them to poor persons if other mosques don’t need them?
This is not permissible, but it is permissible to sell them and use the money for other needs of the mosque.
Building Shops and Malls in the Underground level of the Mosque
If a mosque is situated a few meters above the ground and it doesn’t have an underground floor is it permissible to build a shop under the mosque and sell its right of trade and consume the money for the mosque?
It is not permitted, but if the person who devoted the land for the mosque has allowed it, it will be permissible. However, there is no issue with constructing things like libraries in the basement of the mosques.
Difference between Mosque and Hussainiyyah
Why it is not permitted to do what can be done in a mosque in hussainiyyah (place of mourning Imam Husayn (‘a), and vice versa? Because if it is permitted we can have one place which can be used both as a mosque and a husainiyyah in order to prevent the wastage of land and costs of building.
There are some limitations for women and sometimes for men for entering mosques; however, there are much fewer limitations for entering hussainiyyahs. Of course one will be granted a much greater reward for performing prayer in the mosque compared to a husainiyyah and this is why both kinds of building are constructed.
Placing Curtain between Male and Female worshippers
There was a wall or curtain between men and women f r o m the past and now some people say that there is no need for a wall or curtain to be between men and women during prayers or sermons, what is your ruling in this regard?
If rows of women are behind men there is no need for a curtain but if they are beside each other the obligatory precaution demands that a curtain separates them.
Performing bestowment in Mosque
Is it permissible to perform acts like bestowment in the mosques, and if they are permissible, should they be done after obtaining permission from the religious authority?
Performing these acts in the mosque is not prohibited and there is no need for the permission of the religious authority. However, attending to worldly acts in the mosque is considered to be makrūh and if these acts disturb the worshippers in the mosque they are prohibited.
Entrance of Infidels into Mosques
Is it necessary to prevent infidels from entering the mosques?
The obligatory precaution demands that infidels be prevented from entering mosques except when they intend to research about Islam and like that.
The Ruling regarding the Mosques which are not Used Anymore
What is the ruling concerning the mosques which are situated in the middle of streets, and also regarding those which are situated in deserts or desolate villages and which are no longer used for performing prayers and sometimes they are contaminated by animals which enter them?
About mosques that are situated in the middle of streets, there is no way that they can be demolished, both because they are mosques and because the property on which they have been built has been devoted by someone to the mosque. Thus anyone who demolishes such a mosque should pay the price for that by building another mosque or repairing other mosques. In fact, this is an example of wasting the property itself and until there is no necessity, destroying a mosque is strictly impermissible. As regards desolate mosques in deserts and desolate villages, they should be kept in a way that they are not desecrated.