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Subject : Ruling on Placing the Minbar (Pulpit) to the Left of the Mihrab (Prayer Niche)
Fatwa Number : 3638
Date : 01-09-2021
Classified :
Fatwa Type : Search Fatawaa

Question :

Is it permissible to place the Minbar (Pulpit) to the left of the Mihrab (Prayer niche in the wall facing Mecca)?



The Answer :

All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of The Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.

It is from the Sunnah to deliver the sermons of Friday prayer as well as that of Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha from a Minbar. It is also recommended to place the Minbar to the right of the Mihrab since the Prophet (Peace be upon him), his companions and followers have done so. Ibn Hajar al-Haitami (May Allah have mercy on him) said: "It is recommended to deliver the sermon from a Minbar, even in Mecca, contrary to those who said that it should be delivered from the gate of the Kaba, following the Sunnah of the Prophet (Peace be upon him). It is also recommended to locate the Minbar to the right of the Mihrab." {Tohfat al-Mohtaaj, V.2:459}.

Al-Ayne (May Allah have mercy on him) said, "It is recommended that the Minbar is situated to the right of the Mihrab facing the Qibla (Mecca). If not a Minbar then a high place." { Umdat al-Qari` Shareh Sahih al-Bukhari, V.6:216}.

In addition, it was stated in {Al-Bayan watahseel, V.1:341}, "Mohammad Bin Roshd said: "The Minbar should be situated to the right of the Mihrab."

It is also stated in {Khash-shaf al-Khinaa`, V.2:35}, "It is recommended to deliver Khutbah (Sermon) from a Minbar. This is based on the following narration: Narrated Abu Hazim: Some men came to Sahl bin Sa`d to ask him about the pulpit. He replied, "Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) sent for a woman (Sahl named her) (this message): 'Order your slave carpenter to make pieces of wood (i.e. a pulpit) for me so that I may sit on it while addressing the people.' So, she ordered him to make it from the tamarisk of the forest. He brought it to her and she sent it to Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) . Allah's Messenger (peace be upon him) ordered it to be placed in the mosque: so, it was put and he sat on it." {Agreed upon}.

The Minbar or the high place is situated to the right of the person facing the Mihrab since the Minbar of the Prophet (Peace be upon him) was as such.

In conclusion, we recommend the party in charge of constructing mosques to make sure that the Minbar is situated to the right of the Mihrab. However, if this wasn`t possible and the nature of the mosque`s structure necessitated that the Minbar be placed to the left of the Mihrab then this is permissible as this is a necessity and the sermon delivered from such Minbar is valid. And Allah the Almighty knows best.






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