What is the ruling on one who works as a mosque cleaner and does not do any work himself, but hires another person for a lower price to do it, while he takes the ministry's salary?
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The Shaykh : Yes, my brother?
The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, what is the ruling on a person who works as a mosque cleaner, receives the reward, and employs an Indian worker to work in the mosque in his place, giving him 300 riyals from the salary and keeping the rest for himself, while he does not do any work?
The Shaykh : I was informed by the officials in the Endowments that the position of cleaner does not refer to a specific person, but rather to the work itself. So, whenever a person secures the cleaning of this mosque, it can be done by any means. They told me: There is no harm if a person takes the cleaner position and has a worker, or hires a worker to do this. They say: We see no harm in this, because all we care about is the work itself.
As for the imam, it is not permissible for him to do so. If an imam wants to leave the imamate and appoint another man in his place, it is not permissible, because the imam may be intended specifically for being a reciter, or for being a scholar, or something similar to that.
Moreover, I see that scrupulousness lies in leaving this practice. A person should either perform the task himself or leave it for other needy people. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book *Al-Ikhtiyarat*: "Those who eat wealth unjustly are those who take up positions and appoint others for a small amount of what they received". This applies exactly to the issue I mentioned. So I see that scrupulousness is for a person not to do this. But if he does it with the consent of the Endowments administration, there is no blame on him. Yes, that is right.
The questioner : What are the principles of the issues that, if a person contradicts them, he has contradicted the methodology of the people of the Sunnah?
The Shaykh : Your turn has not come, may Allah reward you with good, unless they allow you.
The student: Please allow him, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If they allow you, and if not!
The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
Your Eminence, what is the ruling on a person who works as a mosque cleaner, receives the reward, and employs an Indian worker to work in the mosque in his place, giving him 300 riyals from the salary and keeping the rest for himself, while he does not do any work?
The Shaykh : I was informed by the officials in the Endowments that the position of cleaner does not refer to a specific person, but rather to the work itself. So, whenever a person secures the cleaning of this mosque, it can be done by any means. They told me: There is no harm if a person takes the cleaner position and has a worker, or hires a worker to do this. They say: We see no harm in this, because all we care about is the work itself.
As for the imam, it is not permissible for him to do so. If an imam wants to leave the imamate and appoint another man in his place, it is not permissible, because the imam may be intended specifically for being a reciter, or for being a scholar, or something similar to that.
Moreover, I see that scrupulousness lies in leaving this practice. A person should either perform the task himself or leave it for other needy people. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) mentioned in his book *Al-Ikhtiyarat*: "Those who eat wealth unjustly are those who take up positions and appoint others for a small amount of what they received". This applies exactly to the issue I mentioned. So I see that scrupulousness is for a person not to do this. But if he does it with the consent of the Endowments administration, there is no blame on him. Yes, that is right.
The questioner : What are the principles of the issues that, if a person contradicts them, he has contradicted the methodology of the people of the Sunnah?
The Shaykh : Your turn has not come, may Allah reward you with good, unless they allow you.
The student: Please allow him, Shaykh.
The Shaykh : If they allow you, and if not!