Giving Land to the Imam or Muezzin as Salary

Question

What is the ruling on giving the mosque’s land to the imam or the muezzin as salary? For example, five bighas (a local unit of land area) of land were given to the imam or muezzin, and he was told: “We have given you five bighas of land in return for serving the mosque; meet your needs from it,” regardless of whether that land suffices the imam or muezzin or not. Please also write whether Indian land is ʿushri (subject to ʿushr, the tithe on produce) or not.

Answer

If the imam or muezzin consents to this arrangement and the mosque suffers no harm, this too is permissible. Land that was declared the property of the Government of India, and was then given by it to anyone at all, did not remain ʿushri; to call ʿushr wajib upon such lands is wrong.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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