❀ Question:
Can an individual in financial hardship be helped using funds that were given for the mosque?
❖ Answer by:
Shaykh Saʿīd Mujtabā Saʿīdī (حفظه الله)
Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakeel Nāṣir (حفظه الله)
◈ Mosque Funds:
Funds donated for the mosque are fundamentally meant to be spent on mosque-related needs and affairs only.
◈ Conditional Permission:
In certain specific cases, if:
✔ The mosque fund is available in abundant quantity,
✔ And there is no immediate requirement for those funds in the mosque,
✔ Then, after mutual consultation among the administrators, it is permissible to assist a genuinely deserving individual with an appropriate amount.
◈ Zakat Funds:
✿ Use of Zakat in Mosques:
The use of zakat funds in mosques is a disputed matter among scholars. Generally, zakat must be spent only in the avenues specified in the Qur’anic categories of zakat expenditure. However, some scholars have allowed exceptions in special circumstances.
✔ According to Shaykh ʿAbd al-Wakeel Nāṣir (حفظه الله):
The use of zakat funds in mosque-related projects can only be permitted if:
➤ The mosque or madrasa is being managed akin to a Bayt al-Māl (Islamic treasury)
➤ The administrators are trustworthy and make decisions about the usage of funds with integrity
➤ There is certainty that the zakat or mosque fund is being rightfully and appropriately utilized
In light of reliable fatāwā, assistance from such funds may be permissible under specific, well-defined conditions.
◈ Summary:
① The general principle is that mosque funds must be used exclusively for mosque-related needs.
② If funds are in surplus and there is mutual consultation, they may be used to assist a genuine and needy individual.
③ Zakat funds should be spent according to Qur’anic guidelines, and any usage outside of that must be based on sound scholarly fatāwā and only in exceptional situations.
