Schools often visit our masjid and they pay for coming in and visit it (classes of around 15 to 25 students and their teachers). At least 10 brothers can alternate themselves, depending on their availability, dedicating their time, sometimes 45 minutes up to 2 hours, and welcoming and introducing the masjid to those schools. Here are my questions: 1) It is lawful taking the money, by the management of the masjid for the masjid, for the visit, considering that we have the opportunity to directly talk with them and let them hear from a Muslim the correct Islamic point of view of their questions? 2) It is lawful for the brother(s) to take some of the amount paid by the school, considering this as a refund for the time wasted, or for any other reason. Here is a brief explanation of the 2° question: I’m working, and I have to living my work to a friend of mine, came to the mosque and spending there 2 hours. I want to be paid for the 2 hours. Or: I’ve to take the bus, and I’m loosing a lot of time, so I want to be paid for doing such thing.

ANSWER

In the name of Allah, Most Compassionate, Most Merciful,

Welcoming School children and other non-Muslim guests to the Mosque and introducing them to Islam and the Mosque is an act of great virtue resulting in tremendous amounts of reward in the hereafter. It is akin to teaching the Qur’an and other Shari’ah sciences, leading prayers, pronouncing the Adhan and carrying out other religious and Islamic work.

The early Hanafi scholars including Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be pleased with him) did not permit accepting money for such religious and Islamic work. However, the vast majority of later scholars from all four Sunni schools of fiqh have allowed accepting payment, even though it is the moral responsibility of a Muslim to do such works without being paid. This is due to the fact that early Muslims were remunerated for their efforts by the state treasury (bayt al-mal), and that one has to spend time and effort, and at times wealth, in carrying out such works.

Imam Ibn Abidin (may Allah have mercy on him) states:

“It is related from our three Imams, Abu Hanifa, Abu Yusuf and Muhammad (may Allah be pleased with them all) that hiring [and accepting payment] for Islamic work (ta’aat) is invalid (batil). However, many later Mujtahid Imams [of the Hanafi School], who were people of deducing and extracting rules (takhrij) and preferring one text over the other (tarjih), issued a verdict (fatwa) of the soundness of accepting payment for teaching the Qur’an due to necessity (dharura). This is due to the fact that [in the early times] teachers were remunerated from the state treasury (bayt al-mal) which has now ceased. As such, if hiring and accepting payment is considered incorrect, there is a possibility of the Qur’an and religion (din) being lost, due to the teachers’ need of earning a living. Scholars who came after them and were similar to them [in knowledge and rank] issued Fatwa also regarding the soundness of accepting payment for pronouncing the Adhan and leading the prayers, since they are both from among the salient features of religion. Thus, they allowed hiring personnel for delivering the Adhan and leading the prayers due to need and necessity. This is the position chosen by those [Hanafi] scholars who came after Abu Hanifa and his students, knowing that had Abu Hanifa and his students been in their times, they would have given similar verdicts and would have retracted from their previous position.” (Majmu’a Rasa’il Ibn Abidin 1/13-14)

Imam Khatib al-Shirbini (may Allah have mercy on him) of the Shafi’i School states:

“It is permitted to hire someone (ijara) for preparing the body of the deceased (tajhiz) such as bathing the dead body, shrouding it and burying it (tadfin), and for teaching the Qur’an or part of the Qur’an and other similar acts that are considered to be collective obligations (fardh kifaya)…” (Mughni al-Muhtaj 2/442 Also see: Nawawi, al-Majmu’ & Ibn Qudama, al-Mughni)

Among the evidences upon which this position is based is the report in which, “A group of Companions of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) passed by some people staying at a place where there was water, and one of those people had been stung by a scorpion. A man from those staying near the water came and said to the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace): “Is there anyone among you who can do Ruqya, for near the water there is a person who has been stung by a scorpion.” So one of the Companions went to him and recited Surat al-Fatiha for a sheep as his fees. The patient got cured and the man brought the sheep to his companions who disliked that and said: “You have taken wages for [reciting the] book of Allah.” When they arrived at Medina, they said: ‘”O Messenger of Allah! This person has taken wages for [reciting the] book of Allah.” The Messenger of Allah (Allah bless him & give him peace) said: “You are most entitled to take wages for [reciting the] book of Allah.” (Sahih al-Bukhari no: 5405, reported by Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with him)

As such, it is permitted to accept payment in return of the time spent in welcoming non-Muslim guests and introducing the Mosque and Islam to them. This money can be used for the benefit of the Mosque and also taken as wages by those who take out time for this task. Having said that, it is superior, if there is no need, to carry out such work voluntarily without being paid, given the great reward promised in the hereafter.

As for the money of non-Muslims, its legal (shar’i) status was explained in detail in a previous answer. It is permitted to take money from non-Muslims without carrying out a detailed investigation regarding the source of the income. However, if the source of income, on the face of it, is proven to be Haram, then the money must not be accepted. One must remember that the wealth which is not permissible to accept is that which is certainly unlawful, such as interest money, money gained through gambling, stealing or trading in unlawful business, etc. It is not necessary to carry out a detailed enquiry as to whether one’s wealth is Halal or otherwise. (Radd al-Muhtar 1/658)

And Allah knows best

[Mufti] Muhammad ibn Adam
Darul Iftaa
Leicester , UK