Ruling on Utilizing Surplus Income from Endowed Land of a Mosque
Derived from: “Ahkam wa Masail in the Light of Qur’an and Hadith”, Volume 02
❖ Question
Can the income generated from the endowed land of a mosque, which exceeds the mosque’s essential needs, be used for religious schools or other Shar‘i matters? Specifically, is it permissible according to Shari‘ah to spend it on Islamic propagation, whether written or oral?
❖ Answer
In the mentioned case, the surplus income can indeed be used for religious schools (Madaris), Islamic propagation (Tabligh), and other Shar‘i causes, as these are all considered acts done in the way of Allah (في سبيل الله).
✿ Supporting Evidence from the Practice of ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (RA):
ʿUmar رضي الله عنه intended to distribute the surplus treasures of the Ka‘bah, which were beyond its needs, among the poor, needy, orphans, and other Muslims. In Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Ḥajj, Bāb Kiswat al-Kaʿbah, it is narrated from him:
لَقَدْ هَمّتْ اَنْ لَّا اَدَعَ فِيْهَا صَفْرَاء وَلَا بَيْضَائَا اِلَّا قَسَّمْتُه قُلْتُ اِنَّ صَاحِبَيْك لَمْ يَفْعَلَا قَالَ هُمَا الْمَرْآن اَقْتَدِي بِهِمَ
Translation of the meaning:
He said: I intend not to leave a single piece of gold or silver in the Ka‘bah except that I will distribute it. I said: Your two companions did not do so. He replied: They are indeed the two persons I follow.
Here, the two companions refer to the Prophet ﷺ and Abū Bakr al-Ṣiddīq (RA).
It is reported that a great treasure lay beneath the Ka‘bah, and ʿUmar رضي الله عنه intended to unearth it. Some have said that this treasure referred to donations (Nadhr and Niyaaz) made by pilgrims and visitors, which used to be collected in a box.
✿ Legal Derivation by Imām al-Bukhārī (RA):
From this narration, Imām al-Bukhārī derived that it is permissible to distribute the surplus income and even the covering (Ghilaaf) of the Ka‘bah. ʿUmar رضي الله عنه would remove the Ka‘bah’s covering each year and distribute it among the pilgrims.
✿ Analogy and Application to Mosques in General:
Just as the Ghilaaf of the Ka‘bah, although endowed for it, was distributed among the poor and needy when it exceeded the Ka‘bah’s needs, likewise, any surplus income of other mosques—being in excess of their requirements—can rightly and primarily be spent on Islamic causes. The principle and analogy clearly allow such utilization.
✔ A detailed proof for this ruling is also recorded in Fatḥ al-Bārī, which supports the above discussion.
🖋 Authored by: (Maulana) Abdul Salam Bastavi
Published in: Ahl-e-Hadith, Delhi, Volume 4, Issue No. 1
