need, it would also be permissible to demolish the mosque, turn its site into a drinking-water facility and shops, and replace it with a mosque elsewhere.”

The reply is: We accept that conclusion. This is precisely what Ahmad mentioned and reported from ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—and upon which he based his position. For ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb demolished the original mosque—the congregational mosque of the people of Kufa—and replaced it with a mosque elsewhere in the city. The site of the original mosque became the date-sellers’ market.

Thus, the very case they presented as a counterexample in their objection and as the basis of their analogy is the case that Ahmad and others reported from the Companions, and which he and his followers cited as evidence against their opponents. Ahmad’s followers said that this implies the Companions’ consensus—may Allah be pleased with them—on this matter. They said—the following is Ibn ʿAqīl’s wording in al-Mufradāt, in the discussion of replacing a mosque:

“Furthermore, Yazīd ibn Hārūn narrated, saying: ‘Al-Masʿūdī narrated to us from al-Qāsim, who said: “When ʿAbdullāh ibn Masʿūd came to the treasury, Saʿd ibn Mālik had already built the palace and established a mosque near the date sellers. The treasury was broken into, and the man who broke into it was apprehended. He wrote to ʿUmar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—and ʿUmar wrote back: ‘Do not cut off the man’s hand. Relocate the mosque and place the treasury on the mosque’s qiblah side, for there will always be someone praying in the mosque.’ So ʿAbdullāh relocated it and marked out this site for it.”’”

Ahmad said:

“It is said that the treasury at the mosque of Kufa was broken into, so ʿAbdullāh relocated the mosque. The present location of the date sellers is the site of the old mosque.”

Ibn ʿAqīl said:

“This took place while many of the Companions were still present, so it is