Passing a collection cloth at the Eids and paying the imam and mu’adhdhin from it

Question

There is a mosque that has no particular source of income, so its expenses are not met. Therefore, with the permission of the members of the mosque committee, on the occasion of the two Eids a handkerchief, i.e. a collection cloth, is passed along the rows in front of the muqtadis; people put money into it, each as much as he can. Among those who give are all kinds of people — those with lawful businesses and those with unlawful ones.

Answer

If those collecting the donations do not pass by stepping over the necks of the worshippers, then collecting in this way before the Eid prayer is permissible, and the salary of the imam and the mu’adhdhin may be paid from it. The better way is for people of means to arrange a permanent salary.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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