• Prayers & Duties >> Waqf, Mosque, Madrasa

    Question ID: 39542Country: India

    Title: In our local Masjid an Imam is appointed and there are some terms and conditions of the committee which is to be followed

    Question: In our local Masjid an Imam is appointed and there are some terms and conditions of the committee which is to be followed. Our Masjid is situated at semi rural area (Basti) of Kolkata. One of the terms is that the Imam should not do any work outside the look after and service of the mosque at the time when he is at service of the mosque as he is given a fixed salary (including food and shelter free of cost) for these purposes. Holidays given to the Imam is 4 days in a month during stay at home (journey for departure and arrival count extra days) but he always has more holidays than the holidays allocated by the Masjid Committee. The income of our mosque comes from two sources: (1) Rent money received from Handi (Deg). (2) Amount received on Friday during Jumuah, Asr and Maghrib time. The service includes: Five times salah, teaching local and poor children free of cost, teaching, discussion about Shariah, sharing the knowledge of Islam to uneducated and educated people, maintaining ledger of rent of Handi (Deg), look after the mosque. But he denied to follow the term and condition of the Masjid Committee. He is showing argument that the duty of an Imam according to Shariah is to only do the 5 times salah after the five time salah he can do any work (the work can be private tuition, business, or any work for money or for his personal requirement though for personal requirement the committee has never objected). I want to know the duty of an Imam according to Shariah and duty of committee member of the Masjid and the duty of the mutawalli sahib.

    Answer ID: 39542

    Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

    (Fatwa: 1001/H=360/TH=1433) (1) It is not lawful to stay back more than fixed leaves. If he does so then the Masjid Committee has the right to deduct amount from his salary equal to the extra leaves. (2) When he (imam) refuses to abide by the conditions of Masjid Committee then the committee has the right to suspend him in good way and arrange for another imam properly. The major responsibility of mutawalli and other committee members is to make good arrangements of imamah. It is also their responsibility to look after the mosque, arrange its requirements, maintain the etiquettes and respect of the mosque etc. If the Masjid Committee permits then it is allowable for the imam to do any small business. For future, you should keep the responsibilities of the imam, muezzin, mutawalli, committee members in written form and at the time of appointing imam, get the signs of muezzin and others. If they are handed over one copy of the same then it shall be better, so that everyone gets himself busy in performing his assigned duties in good manner.

    Allah (Subhana Wa Ta'ala) knows Best

    Darul Ifta,

    Darul Uloom Deoband, India