The Muezzin Is the Custodian of the Mosque’s Prayer Mats; Using Them at Celebrations Is Not Permitted

Question

Should the mosque’s prayer mat and the other prayer rugs, which were bought with donations, be in the charge of the imam or of someone else? Here people keep them in their own houses and do not bring them to the mosque, which causes inconvenience to the worshippers, and they say: “We are hardly servants, to carry them there and back.” May the mosque’s prayer rugs be used at wedding celebrations, for spreading bedding and the like, or not?

Answer

An employee should be engaged for their safekeeping; for example, let the muezzin both call the adhan and clean and guard the mosque, and let the goods — the prayer rugs and so on — also be in his custody and under his supervision, so that the mosque’s property is spent in its proper place and the worshippers are not inconvenienced either.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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