Accepting non-Muslim's contribution to mosque maintenance
29-12-2012 | IslamWeb
Question:
CAN YOU PLEASE GIVE UP FATWA ON THE BELOW MENTIONED ISSUE: DOOR: NO: 15-60/2, MOSQUE STREET, BOBBILI-535558, VIZIYANAGARAM DIST, ANDHRA PRADESH, INDIA CELL : 9030097103/9642969896 E-Mail: kalam_19191@yahoo.co.in As salamwalakum, SUB: We can use the rent of shop belonging to Mosque which is going to construct by a Non-Muslim for the Mosque I hereby inform you that at our place we are having a Mosque of Older one constructed by our king of Bobbili before 115 years for the Muslims of their place/kingdom. And later on it was been constructed by some Muslim Donor last year. As the people are poor in this locality they are not having sufficient amount for the maintenance of Mosque. And mashallah till now there is no problem for the maintenance. But, One Person belonging to Christianity came forward to built the shop belonging to Mosque which help the mosque for the maintenance. And the amount which we will receive from that shops was used for the giving salary for imam, and maintenance of the Mosque. Whether it was right or wrong on construction of room with the money of non-muslim brother is used in masjid or not???????? And why????????? And a fatwa was given by mufti of Devobandi that we can use that amount of masjid due to the conditions of us and our country. Please give fatwa on it with an relating hadit as soon as possible?????????? MOHMMAD ABUL KALAM,
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His Slave and Messenger.
If that Christian man builds a shop that belongs to the mosque so that its profit will be dedicated to the maintenance of the mosque and to the salary of the Imaam, then this is considered a Waqf (an endowment) and this Waqf is permissible from a Christian according to the view of the majority of the scholars 
.
The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads: “The jurists are of the view that it is not a condition that the person who makes an endowment be a Muslim; indeed, an endowment is acceptable from a Thimmi (a non-Muslim living in an Islamic state), because an endowment is not a matter of worship in a way that it is not valid from a non-Muslim in principle; rather, getting closer to Allaah with an endowment depends on the intention of getting closer to Allaah by making it; so this endowment without this intention is permissible and thus it is accepted from a non-Muslim just like him emancipating a slave; this is according to the agreement of the scholars, but the jurists disagreed with regard to the items that are valid to be endowed from a Thimmi and those that are not.”
The Fiqh Encyclopedia also reads: “The jurists had different opinions with regard to an endowment made for the mosque by a Thimmi. The majority of the scholars are of the opinion that it is valid as per the general evidence for endowment, whereas the Maaliki School of jurisprudence prohibited it...”
Therefore, according to the view of the majority of the scholars, it is permissible for a Christian to participate in building a shop for the mosque, whose profit will be allocated according to the specification of the Christian who made the endowment.
Finally, we advise you to strive to call that Christian man to Islam, as Allaah may guide him thanks to you, and you will be a reason of saving him from Hellfire.
Allaah Knows best.