Ruling on the mosque imam appointing a substitute for a full month
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If a person is the imam of a mosque and appoints someone to lead the prayer for him for a full month, and the mosque has a house, the custom is to give the person he appointed the reward for that month. But does anything come out of this house?
First: May Allah reward you. We do not see it permissible for the imam to be absent from the imamate for a month, except for something necessary, such as illness; because where does he take the reward from?The questioner: From the public treasury.
The Shaykh: From the public treasury, in which every person has a right, even the old woman in her house has a right. So for him to take for something he did not perform is absolutely not permissible. And for someone to act as a substitute is not sufficient. But if necessity calls for this, for example, due to illness or accompanying a sick person who must be accompanied, then he may, if he wishes, give him the reward for the month, or less, or more, or give him nothing, according to what satisfies the other party. However, he should not place in this mosque anyone except those whom the people of the mosque approve.
The questioner: And the house, O Shaykh, does it pay the rent for him?The Shaykh: Absolutely not. It does not pay rent for him or anything else; because the substitute is satisfied with whatever is given to him.
First: May Allah reward you. We do not see it permissible for the imam to be absent from the imamate for a month, except for something necessary, such as illness; because where does he take the reward from?The questioner: From the public treasury.
The Shaykh: From the public treasury, in which every person has a right, even the old woman in her house has a right. So for him to take for something he did not perform is absolutely not permissible. And for someone to act as a substitute is not sufficient. But if necessity calls for this, for example, due to illness or accompanying a sick person who must be accompanied, then he may, if he wishes, give him the reward for the month, or less, or more, or give him nothing, according to what satisfies the other party. However, he should not place in this mosque anyone except those whom the people of the mosque approve.
The questioner: And the house, O Shaykh, does it pay the rent for him?The Shaykh: Absolutely not. It does not pay rent for him or anything else; because the substitute is satisfied with whatever is given to him.