Some people reserve spots in the Haram in the courtyard by placing a prayer mat on them, then leave them for other worshippers in exchange for a sum of money. What is the ruling?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May Allah reward you. He says:The questioner : Some people reserve spots in the Haram in the courtyard by placing mats on them, then leave them for other worshippers in exchange for a sum of money. What is the ruling on that, and does the person for whom it is reserved commit a sin?
The Shaykh : This is permissible and there is no harm in it, on the condition that the person placing this item has a deed from the Shari'ah court stating that he owns this spot. If he has a deed from the Shari'ah court stating that he owns this spot, he has the right to sell it to people. Otherwise, it is not permissible for him to place anything to reserve this spot and take money for it. This would be forbidden for both the one who reserves it and the one for whom it is reserved. As for the one who reserves it, it is because he consumes money by wrongdoing. As for the one for whom it is reserved, it is because he assisted in sin and transgression, and this is not permissible. However, I have heard that some people, may Allah protect us from that, play with poor pilgrims. He comes to them and says: Buy this pillar from me and make it an endowment for your father. A pillar in the mosque. He says: This is a pillar, buy it and make it an endowment for your father. The pilgrim does not know, poor man. He thinks the matter is valid. He spends a lot of money to buy this pillar. He says: O Allah, it is an endowment for my father, or whatever he says. The point is this is his intention. This is also forbidden and not permissible. Mosques are not sold. Mosques belong to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and they are for the Muslims who arrive first. Yes.
The Shaykh : This is permissible and there is no harm in it, on the condition that the person placing this item has a deed from the Shari'ah court stating that he owns this spot. If he has a deed from the Shari'ah court stating that he owns this spot, he has the right to sell it to people. Otherwise, it is not permissible for him to place anything to reserve this spot and take money for it. This would be forbidden for both the one who reserves it and the one for whom it is reserved. As for the one who reserves it, it is because he consumes money by wrongdoing. As for the one for whom it is reserved, it is because he assisted in sin and transgression, and this is not permissible. However, I have heard that some people, may Allah protect us from that, play with poor pilgrims. He comes to them and says: Buy this pillar from me and make it an endowment for your father. A pillar in the mosque. He says: This is a pillar, buy it and make it an endowment for your father. The pilgrim does not know, poor man. He thinks the matter is valid. He spends a lot of money to buy this pillar. He says: O Allah, it is an endowment for my father, or whatever he says. The point is this is his intention. This is also forbidden and not permissible. Mosques are not sold. Mosques belong to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), and they are for the Muslims who arrive first. Yes.