and its people move away. Do you think it should be relocated?’

He replied: ‘Yes, if the intention is to benefit the people; otherwise, no.’

He added: ‘Ibn Mas‘ūd relocated the congregational mosque from the date sellers’ quarter. If it serves a beneficial purpose, there is no harm in doing so; otherwise, it should not be done.’

I also asked my father about a man who built a mosque and then wanted to move it elsewhere. He replied: ‘If the man who built the mosque wishes to relocate it for fear of thieves, or because its location is filthy, there is no harm in doing so.’”

Ahmad said:

“Yazīd ibn Hārūn narrated to us, from al-Mas‘ūdī, from al-Qāsim, who said: ‘When ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd came to the treasury, Sa‘d ibn Mālik had already built the palace and established a mosque near the date sellers. The treasury was then broken into, and the man who had broken into it was caught. He wrote about him to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb, and ‘Umar wrote back: “Subject the man to amputation, relocate the mosque, and place the treasury on the mosque’s qiblah side, for there will always be someone praying in the mosque.” So ‘Abd Allāh relocated it and marked out this site for it.’”

Sālih said:

“My father said: ‘It is said that the treasury at the mosque of Kufa was broken into, so ‘Abd Allāh ibn Mas‘ūd relocated the mosque to what is now the date sellers’ quarter, at the site of the old mosque.’”

Ahmad means that the mosque built by Ibn Mas‘ūd occupied the site of the date sellers’ quarter in Ahmad’s time. This mosque was the old mosque. The mosque of Kufa was subsequently altered a third time.

Abū al-Khattāb said:

“Abū ‘Abd Allāh was asked: ‘May a mosque be relocated?’

“He replied: ‘If it is cramped and cannot accommodate its congregation, there is no harm in relocating it to a more spacious site.’”