Is it permissible for the imam in our country to not receive a salary from the state, but rather from charity?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : In our country, O Shaykh, the imam receives a salary from one person... twenty from this one, ten from that one, or from the zakah...
The Shaykh : In any case, the circumstances differ between this country and your country. Here, we currently receive it from the public treasury, from the state's funds.
The questioner : And this is permissible; he may take the zakah.
The Shaykh : As long as he is poor, he is among those entitled to zakah. If he is poor and is fulfilling one of the interests of the Muslims, he is deserving of it, but he must not take more than his need.
The questioner : Even if there are people poorer than him.
The Shaykh : There is no harm, as long as he has been appointed as an imam, he may take it.
The questioner : Some university students requested an increase in their stipends...
The Shaykh : What would disqualify them?
The Shaykh : In any case, the circumstances differ between this country and your country. Here, we currently receive it from the public treasury, from the state's funds.
The questioner : And this is permissible; he may take the zakah.
The Shaykh : As long as he is poor, he is among those entitled to zakah. If he is poor and is fulfilling one of the interests of the Muslims, he is deserving of it, but he must not take more than his need.
The questioner : Even if there are people poorer than him.
The Shaykh : There is no harm, as long as he has been appointed as an imam, he may take it.
The questioner : Some university students requested an increase in their stipends...
The Shaykh : What would disqualify them?