The Issue of Fatwa Application

time of the Prophet’s mission, the Kabah in Makkah had been built by polytheists. Yet the Prophet of Islam  never objected to it. Even in the eighth year after the Hijrah, when Makkah was conquered and full authority came into his hands, the Prophet did not demolish the Kabah built by the polytheists and rebuild it through the believers. History further tells us that at the time of the conquest of Makkah, the covering placed over the Kabah had also been made by the polytheists, using the wealth of idol worshippers. Yet despite the conquest of Makkah, the Prophet of Islam  did not replace this old covering. Later, due to a woman’s mistake, the covering caught fire. Only then did he have a new covering prepared and placed over it. Thus, the covering was changed only when this change became an unavoidable necessity. There are many such incidents in history that clearly show that seeking the cooperation of non-Muslims in a mosque or madrasa is entirely permissible. There is nothing objectionable about it. Calling such an act interference in religion is completely wrong; rather, it is mischief, because it can unnecessarily damage relations between Muslims and non-Muslims. The building of a mosque or a madrasa is not the worship performed in the mosque or the religious