What is the authenticity of the report that you deduct from the imam's salary when you are absent? And what is your opinion of one who does that when he is absent?
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The questioner : Your Eminence, may Allah forgive us and you: We have heard of a practice you perform when receiving the mosque salary, which is: that you deduct the salary for the time you are absent and do not lead the worshippers in, and on this basis some imams have set up a chart showing all the daily prayer times during a full month, and if he is absent from this time he places a mark indicating he was absent, and when receiving the salary he either asks the Waqf for permission to take the salaries for the times he did not pray, or he deducts it himself, donates it, and obligates himself to this method. Is their action correct, and is what was reported about you also correct? May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : As for what was reported about us, it is not correct. We are absent for one or two times, or one or two days, in matters that the situation requires, and we do not deduct anything. The imam is an imam, and one or two days in the month do no harm.
But some people, may Allah protect us from that, take the imamate in their name and delegate it to another person for all the prayers. For example, he takes a salary of one thousand, and gives the one who prays five hundred riyals. Who has made the five hundred permissible for him?
Especially since the money is from the public treasury, it cannot be spent except in exchange for benefit and work. So what has made it permissible for you to take one thousand riyals and give this deputy of yours five hundred riyals?
This is forbidden without doubt, and the one who eats it eats it unlawfully. And worse than that is that this person registers in the mosque even though the state regulations do not permit it, but he conceals it. He takes the job in his name and gives it to this one he registered. This includes aggression against the state and its system, and includes eating by falsehood in what exceeds what he gives to this one he appointed. For example, some people have a man come to them from those whom the state does not permit to perform this job, and they agree that he will be the one before the state—that is, the citizen—and the one who actually performs the work is this one whom the state does not permit to hold this position. He does not care and takes the excess. This is also forbidden, and in it, as I said, are two prohibitions:
The first prohibition: the concealment, which is deception of the state.
And the second: eating money by falsehood.
Even if it were assumed that he said: I give the whole salary to this man who performed it for me, it is not permissible, as long as the regulations do not permit him to hold this position, because every one of the sons of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a pledge of allegiance in his neck to the one in authority therein, which necessitates, by virtue of the noble verse:[An-Nisa 4:59], that he walks in accordance with this system.
The questioner : And what about the cleaner?
The Shaykh : The cleaner, by Allah, they told us that the intention of the responsible authority is that the mosque be cleaned, meaning: as it is said: "They have nothing but a peep", and the intention regarding the cleaner does not differ. The intention is that the mosque is cleaned and maintained, and perhaps the maintenance of the mosque by a foreigner and his cleaning of it is better than that of the national. The national is lazy and bored, but foreigners are generally more beneficial. And I have asked some of the responsible officials about this matter, and they said: We have nothing but a mosque that is repaired. But from scrupulousness is that a person does not take anything extra from what this person performed or give it to him.
The questioner : And the method, O Shaykh, is correct?
The Shaykh : As for the one who did it for himself, we cannot say anything about it; perhaps he loves scrupulousness.
The questioner : Fine, you said: he distributes the papers to a group of young men.
The Shaykh : No, that is a mistake. For him to do this is from excessive asceticism.
The questioner : He gives them the papers and says: If you wish.
The Shaykh : No, no, absolutely not, and he does not give them the papers. He does it himself and does not obligate the people to it. And if the people take these papers on the basis of scrupulousness and worship, they may act upon it, and this is from excessive asceticism. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:, but people differ in scrupulousness. A person may be scrupulous and find in himself a sense of difficulty regarding something, while another does not see this. And it is mentioned that Imam Ahmad (may Allah have mercy on him): a questioner came to him asking about a woman or a man, and I think it was a woman, and she said to him: "O Abu 'Abd Allah, the Sultan passes by and we are spinning in the light of the moon", -do you know spinning?
Spinning and weaving in wool, cotton, and others.
"And with his passing, our work increases": because the lights become stronger and wider.
"So do we have a right in this? He said: Yes, there is nothing wrong with it". You did not bring the lights; they passed by with the market and Allah benefited you with them. This is the meaning of his words. He was surprised by this question.
"So when she left, he said to those around him: Who is this woman? They said: This is so-and-so, the sister of Ibrahim ibn Adham. He said: Call her. So they called her and she came. He said: That is not permissible for you. How? He said: From your house came out the scrupulousness", meaning: you are people of scrupulousness, and people differ.
And I think Musa is indicating that the time is over, and I am truly apologizing to you, meaning it was forced upon me. I opened the door at eleven minus five, but there is a problem. However, if Allah wills, I will try my best for it to be a full hour for this meeting, and we ask Allah for success for us and for you, if Allah wills. And whoever did not ask, excuse us. May Allah reward you with good.
The evidence is the general texts, which have parallels. The Messenger permitted charity on behalf of the deceased, and permitted fasting, and permitted Hajj, and these are specific cases from which nothing else was prevented. It was mentioned in the marginalia of al-Jamal, *Al-Futuhat al-Ilahiyyah*, that he mentioned twenty proofs for the permissibility of this, and attributed these proofs to Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.
The Shaykh : As for what was reported about us, it is not correct. We are absent for one or two times, or one or two days, in matters that the situation requires, and we do not deduct anything. The imam is an imam, and one or two days in the month do no harm.
But some people, may Allah protect us from that, take the imamate in their name and delegate it to another person for all the prayers. For example, he takes a salary of one thousand, and gives the one who prays five hundred riyals. Who has made the five hundred permissible for him?
Especially since the money is from the public treasury, it cannot be spent except in exchange for benefit and work. So what has made it permissible for you to take one thousand riyals and give this deputy of yours five hundred riyals?
This is forbidden without doubt, and the one who eats it eats it unlawfully. And worse than that is that this person registers in the mosque even though the state regulations do not permit it, but he conceals it. He takes the job in his name and gives it to this one he registered. This includes aggression against the state and its system, and includes eating by falsehood in what exceeds what he gives to this one he appointed. For example, some people have a man come to them from those whom the state does not permit to perform this job, and they agree that he will be the one before the state—that is, the citizen—and the one who actually performs the work is this one whom the state does not permit to hold this position. He does not care and takes the excess. This is also forbidden, and in it, as I said, are two prohibitions:
The first prohibition: the concealment, which is deception of the state.
And the second: eating money by falsehood.
Even if it were assumed that he said: I give the whole salary to this man who performed it for me, it is not permissible, as long as the regulations do not permit him to hold this position, because every one of the sons of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has a pledge of allegiance in his neck to the one in authority therein, which necessitates, by virtue of the noble verse:
O you who have believed, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْThe questioner : And what about the cleaner?
The Shaykh : The cleaner, by Allah, they told us that the intention of the responsible authority is that the mosque be cleaned, meaning: as it is said: "They have nothing but a peep", and the intention regarding the cleaner does not differ. The intention is that the mosque is cleaned and maintained, and perhaps the maintenance of the mosque by a foreigner and his cleaning of it is better than that of the national. The national is lazy and bored, but foreigners are generally more beneficial. And I have asked some of the responsible officials about this matter, and they said: We have nothing but a mosque that is repaired. But from scrupulousness is that a person does not take anything extra from what this person performed or give it to him.
The questioner : And the method, O Shaykh, is correct?
The Shaykh : As for the one who did it for himself, we cannot say anything about it; perhaps he loves scrupulousness.
The questioner : Fine, you said: he distributes the papers to a group of young men.
The Shaykh : No, that is a mistake. For him to do this is from excessive asceticism.
The questioner : He gives them the papers and says: If you wish.
The Shaykh : No, no, absolutely not, and he does not give them the papers. He does it himself and does not obligate the people to it. And if the people take these papers on the basis of scrupulousness and worship, they may act upon it, and this is from excessive asceticism. And the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
The overzealous have perished
هلك المتنطعونSpinning and weaving in wool, cotton, and others.
"And with his passing, our work increases": because the lights become stronger and wider.
"So do we have a right in this? He said: Yes, there is nothing wrong with it". You did not bring the lights; they passed by with the market and Allah benefited you with them. This is the meaning of his words. He was surprised by this question.
"So when she left, he said to those around him: Who is this woman? They said: This is so-and-so, the sister of Ibrahim ibn Adham. He said: Call her. So they called her and she came. He said: That is not permissible for you. How? He said: From your house came out the scrupulousness", meaning: you are people of scrupulousness, and people differ.
And I think Musa is indicating that the time is over, and I am truly apologizing to you, meaning it was forced upon me. I opened the door at eleven minus five, but there is a problem. However, if Allah wills, I will try my best for it to be a full hour for this meeting, and we ask Allah for success for us and for you, if Allah wills. And whoever did not ask, excuse us. May Allah reward you with good.
The evidence is the general texts, which have parallels. The Messenger permitted charity on behalf of the deceased, and permitted fasting, and permitted Hajj, and these are specific cases from which nothing else was prevented. It was mentioned in the marginalia of al-Jamal, *Al-Futuhat al-Ilahiyyah*, that he mentioned twenty proofs for the permissibility of this, and attributed these proofs to Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah.