The imamate of a salaried imam

Question

The imam of a certain mosque also teaches at a religious madrasa. Most of the time he does not come to the mosque punctually, and working people are inconvenienced by this. One day at ‘asr the worshippers remonstrated with him, and he at once, making a gesture of money with his fingers, said: “At the madrasa I get 100 rupees, and here at the mosque — what?” — whereas [here] he receives 25 rupees; he has been doing this service for two years. Is such a reply befitting his station?

Answer

Such a reply does not befit the imam’s station. Yet the muqtadis (followers), too, should not remonstrate with the imam over his coming late in a way that is contrary to his dignity; let them not regard him as their salaried employee.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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