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Fatwa CenterA mosque is not to be closed on account of a sin committed therein
Question
I ask about a man who practiced sodomy in a mosque. Is closing this mosque because of this incident the correct course of action? Please note that only one person saw him doing so and did not report about him.
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, the Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
This man has committed a huge sin and a tremendous immorality of which its prohibition is declared by Allaah Almighty in His Book and on the tongue of His Messenger, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Muslim Ummah (community) has unanimously agreed on the prohibition of such a sin. The Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, judged that the perpetrator of sodomy must be killed in all cases, married or unmarried. This is based on the Hadeeth in which he, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, said: "Whomsoever you find practicing the deed of the people of Loot (Lot) 
then kill both the one doing it and the one to whom it is done."
Undoubtedly, the gravity of sins and misdeeds and the anger of Allaah Almighty inflicted on their perpetrators increase if they are done at a virtuous time, such as the month of Ramadan, or in a virtuous place, such as Mecca, Medina, or a mosque.
This man has to repent to Allaah Almighty for the sin that he committed, and he must deeply regret it. Moreover, he has to be determined to never commit such a heinous crime again, seek the concealment of Allaah Almighty regarding his sin, and never tell anyone about it.
As for the mosque, the sin committed in it does not harm it. Hence, it should neither be closed nor deactivated. Rather, it should remain open for worship, as it has been.
Allaah Knows best.
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