Change of trusteeship

Question

The mosque of Ahl al-Sunna wa’l-Jama‘a is the waqf of Mahmud Khan. At the time of moving his residence to Pakistan he made my brother Sayyid Hamid Husayn the mutawalli (trustee). Owing to the non-fulfilment of certain conditions, a registered letter has now come from Pakistan saying that, instead of the former mutawalli, (the trusteeship) should be given to another brother, ‘Abd al-Hafiz Khan. Can the owner of the mosque change the mutawalli from Pakistan or not?

Answer

Mosques belong to Allah Most High; no mosque is anyone’s personal property: [ar]وَأَنَّ ٱلْمَسَـٰجِدَ لِلَّهِ[/ar] “And the mosques are for Allah…” (the verse) (Surah al-Jinn, 72:18). The builder of the mosque has the right to appoint as mutawalli for its management whomever he considers suitable.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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