Building mosques is better than building houses for imams and mu'adhdhins
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We see many mosques now, and praise be to Allah, but in some mosques there are no houses for the mu'adhdhin and the imam.Which is better: Should one put money into the construction of other mosques or into these houses?
It is better to put the money into the construction of other mosques.For example: A man has one million riyals and spent seven hundred thousand on this mosque, and he has three hundred thousand left.He says: Is it better for me to put it in another mosque, or to build a house or two for the imam and the mu'adhdhin with it?We say: It is better for you to put it in other mosques, especially if you are an agent, meaning you were given money to build mosques; it is not permissible for you to spend it on building houses for the imam and the mu'adhdhin, because you are an agent.
The questioner: Even if there is a need for it?The Shaykh: Absolutely not, there is no need. The mosque will function whether the imam and the mu'adhdhin have a house or not. It is true that it facilitates the presence of the imam and the mu'adhdhin, but it is not a necessity.
It is better to put the money into the construction of other mosques.For example: A man has one million riyals and spent seven hundred thousand on this mosque, and he has three hundred thousand left.He says: Is it better for me to put it in another mosque, or to build a house or two for the imam and the mu'adhdhin with it?We say: It is better for you to put it in other mosques, especially if you are an agent, meaning you were given money to build mosques; it is not permissible for you to spend it on building houses for the imam and the mu'adhdhin, because you are an agent.
The questioner: Even if there is a need for it?The Shaykh: Absolutely not, there is no need. The mosque will function whether the imam and the mu'adhdhin have a house or not. It is true that it facilitates the presence of the imam and the mu'adhdhin, but it is not a necessity.