If the Wage for Imamate Is Food Alone, It Is Not Valid

Question

Zayd serves as imam in a mosque, and on behalf of the mosque he is given only food. Is this arrangement valid or not?

Answer

If only food is given as the wage, this arrangement is fasid (vitiated); and if, besides food, there is also some salary, whether small or large, the arrangement is valid. In “al-Fatawa al-‘Alamgiriyya” it says: [ar]وكل إجارة فيها رزق أو علف فهو فاسد[/ar] “Every hire (ijara) in which there is provision or fodder is fasid.” And in “Shami” (vol. 5, p. 39)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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