Ruling on the mihraabs that are in mosques
Question

                What is the ruling on building a mihraab in the qiblah of the mosque?.
Praise be to Allah.
    The mihraab, or niche in which the imam prays in the mosque, 
    did not exist at the time of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah 
    be upon him) or in the first century of Islam. It appeared in the second 
    century and the Muslims continued to build them in their mosques because 
    they served a purpose, such as showing the person who enters the mosque 
    where the direction of the qiblah is. 

    The scholars of the Standing Committee were asked:  

    Did mihraabs in mosques exist at the time of the Messenger of 
    Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him)? 

    They replied: 

    The Muslims continued to put mihraabs in their mosques during 
    the best centuries and afterwards, because that serves a purpose for the 
    Muslims in general, such as showing where the qiblah is and showing that 
    this place is a mosque. End quote. 

    Fataawa al-Lajnah al-Daa’imah li’l-Buhooth al-‘Ilmiyyah 
    wa’l-Ifta’ (6/252, 253) 

    Some scholars are of the view that building a mihraab is a 
    bid’ah (innovation) and they forbade it. They quoted as evidence the report 
    narrated by al-Tabaraani and by al-Bayhaqi in his Sunan from 
    ‘Abd-Allaah ibn ‘Amr (may Allaah be pleased with him), that the Messenger of 
    Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) said: “Avoid these 
    madhaabih (lit. altars)” meaning mihraabs. This was classed as saheeh by 
    al-Albaani in Saheeh al-Jaami (120). 

    But this argument may be answered by noting that the mihraabs 
    mentioned in this hadeeth are not the mihraabs that are to be found in 
    mosques, rather what is meant here is the seat at the head of a gathering. 
    This prohibition of the Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon 
    him) applies to sitting at the head of a gathering, because of the fear that 
    this may lead to showing off or some kind of self-admiration. 

    Al-Haythami said in Majma’ al-Zawaa’id: I say: 
    “Mihraabs” here refers to the seat at the gathering. Ibn al-Atheer said in
    al-Nihaayah: 

    Mihraab means a high, elevated place, which is the seat at 
    the head of a gathering. Hence the word is used for the mihraab in the 
    mosque because it is the focal point and the noblest place in the mosque. 
    End quote. 

    Al-Mannaawi said in Fayd al-Qadeer: 

    i.e., avoid seeking the seat at the head of a gathering, 
    i.e., competing for that. The author (i.e., al-Suyooti) applied this 
    prohibition to building mihraabs in mosques and standing in them, and he 
    said: The people did not realize that having mihraabs in mosques is an 
    innovation (bid’ah) and they thought that they existed at the time of the 
    Prophet  (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), but they did not 
    exist at his time or at the time of any of his successors, rather that was 
    introduced in the second century even though it is established that it is 
    not allowed. 

    Then al-Mannaawi said: His ruling is based on what he 
    understood from the wording of the hadeeth, that what was meant by mihraab 
    was nothing other than that which is known as such in the mosques nowadays, 
    but this is not correct because the famous imam who is known as Ibn 
    al-Atheer stated that what was meant by mihraabs in the hadeeth was the seat 
    at the head of a gathering … and many scholars followed him in this view and 
    no one stated any other view, such al-Hafiz al-Haytami and others. End 
    quote. 

    Ibn Abi Shaybah narrated in al-Musannaf that Moosa 
    al-Juhani said: The Messenger of Allaah  (peace and blessings of Allaah 
    be upon him) said: “My ummah will continue to be fine so long as they do not 
    put altars (madhaabih) in their mosques like the altars of the Christians.” 

    Even if this hadeeth is saheeh, what is meant here is a 
    prohibition on adopting altars like those of the Christians. But if they are 
    not like the altars of the Christians, then they are not forbidden. 

    Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him) was asked about the ruling on having mihraabs in mosques: What 
    is the answer to the reports which forbid altars like the altars of the 
    Christians? He replied: The scholars (may Allaah have mercy on them) 
    differed as to whether having a mihraab is Sunnah, mustahabb or permissible. 
    What I think is that having a mihraab is permissible, and this is the well 
    known view of our madhhab. If it is said that it is mustahabb because of the 
    many benefits involved, such as showing the direction of the qiblah to those 
    who do not know, this is fair enough. 

    With regard to the report narrated from the Prophet  
    (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) which forbids altars like the 
    altars of the Christians, i.e., mihraabs, this prohibition has to do with 
    adopting mihraabs like those of the Christians, but if what is adopted is 
    mihraabs of the distinctive Muslim type, then that is not forbidden. End 
    quote. 

    Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 
    12/ question no. 326. 

    He was also asked: 

    Some scholars regard the mihraabs in mosques as a bid’ah and 
    imitation of the kuffaar. Is this opinion correct? 

    He replied: 

    I think that this opinion is not correct, because those who 
    adopt mihraabs do so only in order to show the direction of the qiblah. 

    What was narrated from the Prophet  (peace and blessings 
    of Allaah be upon him) about not adopting altars like the altars of the 
    Christians means not adopting mihraabs like those of the Christians. If they 
    are distinct from them then they are no longer like them. End quote. 

    Majmoo’ Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 
    12/ question no. 327. 

    And Allaah knows best.