Taking a mosque’s copy of the Qur’an home and paying its price

Question

In the mosque of our neighbourhood many copies of the Noble Qur’an have been placed for those who recite. One of them is a copy of the Qur’an printed in Arabic type (Cairo, 1351 AH). I am fond of reciting the Qur’an, and without asking any of the congregants (muqtadis) or the mutawalli (trustee) of the mosque I took it home for recitation, solely because it is foreign and printed in Arabic type. My intention was to place my own copy of the Qur’an in that mosque in its place.

Answer

It is evident that whoever placed that copy of the Holy Qur’an in the mosque made it a waqf for the mosque, so that whoever wishes may come to the mosque and recite from it. Taking it to one’s house and keeping it there permanently is not permitted, even if you place another copy of the Qur’an in the mosque in exchange for it: there is no right of proprietary possession over…

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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