Source:
Fatāwā Muḥammadiyyah, Vol. 1, Page 562
Question:
In the under-construction Jāmiʿ Masjid Shuhadā-e-Ahl-e-Ḥadīth, Mandi Bahauddin, a small Qur’an school has been established for local children. The Qārī Ṣāḥib serves both as Imam and teacher of the children. Since the surrounding area consists mostly of Ḥanafī households, the congregation is small, and it is extremely difficult to pay a fixed monthly salary regularly.
In such a situation, is it permissible to pay the Qārī’s salary from Qurbani hides (sacrificial skins) or Zakat funds? Please clarify this in the light of Qur’an and Sunnah.
Answer:
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
Scholarly Discussion
◈ According to the majority of Qur’anic exegetes, spending Zakat funds for mosque construction and similar projects does not fall under “فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ (in the way of Allah)” as mentioned in the verse of Zakat recipients.
However, Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī رحمه الله wrote:
“Know that the apparent wording of Allah’s statement ‘فِي سَبِيلِ اللّٰهِ’ is not restricted solely to warriors (mujāhidīn). Hence, some jurists have allowed the use of charity funds for all forms of good works such as shrouding the dead, building fortresses, and constructing mosques, since the phrase ‘in the way of Allah’ encompasses all these categories.”
(Tafsīr al-Kabīr, paraphrased from the cited passage in al-Fajr.)
Similarly, it is reported that Anas رضي الله عنه and al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī رحمه الله said:
“Whatever is spent on bridges and roads is valid charity.”
Thus, certain scholars have permitted spending Zakat on mosque construction and similar public welfare projects.
Support from Jurists
The following scholars have expressed similar views regarding permissible charitable causes beyond ownership-based giving (tamlīk):
- Imām Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī رحمه الله
- The author of al-Arḍ wa al-Nafīr
- The author of al-Murshid fī Aḥkām al-Zakāh
According to them, Zakat may be used for beneficial causes even if no personal ownership is transferred, as long as the funds serve an Islamic objective.
Application to the Present Case
However, the case in question is different, because:
◈ If the Imam is paid his salary from Zakat or sacrificial hides, it effectively becomes payment for his service (i.e., a wage).
◈ This creates a conflict of interest, since the contributors of Zakat are the very congregation benefiting from the Imam’s services. It is as if they are spending their Zakat on themselves, which is impermissible.
◈ Likewise, since the Qārī Ṣāḥib teaches their own children, paying him from Zakat means that the people are effectively using their Zakat on their own dependents, which is not valid.
Correct Ruling
◈ Therefore, the Imam’s salary must not be paid from Zakat funds or Qurbani hides.
◈ It should be paid from personal contributions or general donations, because in wealth there exists a right for Allah beyond Zakat, as stated in the ḥadīth:
“فِي الْمَالِ حَقٌّ سِوَى الزَّكَاةِ”
“In wealth there is a right besides the prescribed Zakat.”
Conclusion
✔ The Imam’s salary should not be funded through Zakat or Qurbani hides.
✔ It should be paid from personal donations, voluntary charity, or other lawful sources.
✔ This approach ensures purity of intention and compliance with Sharīʿah.
هٰذَا مَا عِندِي وَاللّٰهُ أَعْلَمُ بِالصَّوَابِ
This is what I hold to be correct, and Allah knows best what is right.
