Using the mosque's electricity for studying knowledge

Question:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success, what is the ruling on using the mosques and consuming the electricity or air conditioning in them, after obtaining permission from the regular imam, outside of prayer times, for studying knowledge for long periods?

Answer:
The imam does not own the benefits of the mosque; this is an endowment (waqf), and the imam does not own it nor does he know about it. However, if it is for seeking knowledge or reading the Qur'an in the mosque, there is nothing wrong with it. This is among the activities of the mosque. Among the activities performed in the mosque is the remembrance of Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), and among them is seeking knowledge. So if he needs electricity for studying or reading books of knowledge, there is nothing wrong with it; this is specific to the mosque. As for answering the ledger of his business, his commercial works, his companies, and his contracts, and reviewing them in the mosque to save his home and save his home's electricity, no, this is not permissible.