Can a Mosque (Masjid) Accept Stolen or looted Money for the upkeep?

Can a Mosque (Masjid) Accept Stolen or looted Money for the upkeep?

Question.

A mosque or Masjid sometimes built by known people who directly benefited from looted funds from Government or armed robber who had stolen from people now giving Millions of Naira to the masjid Committee to build Masjid. Indirectly the man wanted to give charity and/or use the Masjid as a way of future campaign or likely to give-up his sinful way of life.

He had stolen this money from Government treasury (Federal or State or Local Government).

Now, brothers in Islam wanted to know what to do with the money paid by ex-Governor or Politician towards building Allah’s House i.e. masjid?

May Allah Almighty reward you for your help?

Possible Answers.

Wa `alaykum as-salamu wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

It should be known that stealing, robbery, and gambling are totally forbidden in Islam. So, every Muslim must refrain from that in order not to expose himself to Allah’s anger

As for your question, the stolen money should not be spent on mosques, Islamic centers, etc. Rather, it can be spent on public services or general benefits of the society.

In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,

"A person who has stolen money from such sources must get rid of it immediately; he cannot use it to benefit himself, his family, or his dependents, nor it can be given to mosques or Islamic centers for their use. Rather, it must be given away in entirety to a public charity or hospital, or to refugees, etc.

It is equally important for him to repent of his sins, and the repentance is not complete, unless he gives away all the ill-gotten money. He also needs to fulfill the requisites of repentance. Repentance proper entails the following steps:

1. Feeling deep remorse for the sin he or she has committed.

2. Refraining from it and all of its associations and leads altogether.

3. Resolving never to do it again.

4. And finally, following it up by doing as many good deeds as he or she can and leading a righteous life.

 

Hadith:

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "A body nurtured by ill-gotten income is a worthy fuel of hell-fire." Allah says, {O mankind! Partake of what is lawful and good on earth, and follow not Satan's footsteps: for, verily, he is your open foe.} (Holy Quran Chapter Al-Baqarah 2: 168)

{O Messengers! Partake of the good and pure things of the earth, and do righteous deeds: verily, I have full knowledge of all that you do.} (Hoy Quran Chapter Al-Mu’minun 23: 51)

 

Can a Mosque Committee Accept Stolen Money for upkeep and maintenance of Masjid?

 

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Allah is Pure, and He accepts only that which is pure." (Muslim from Abu Hurayrah) In order to illustrate this point, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) mentioned the case of a person who appears in the holy sites, in a disheveled state due to long journey, and supplicates, calling out to Allah, "Lord! Lord!" However, how would Allah answer his prayer when his entire body is nurtured by that which is haram, his food is from haram and his clothes are from haram and he is entirely nurtured by haram!" (Muslim from Abu Hurayrah)

 

In conclusion, it is important to give away the entire amount in charity for the causes mentioned above.

I pray to Allah to make us all content with that which He has declared as lawful, and pure for us."

 

2.0 Can I Pay My Bank Interest to a Mosque?

Question.

In Nigerian banking systems, interests from such instsitutions are either known or unknown unless you specify type of savings or fixed deposits. Bank usually pay with certain percentages of interests accrued, can I pay my bank's interest to needy Muslims or to my local masjid for their operating fund?

Possible Answer.

Mosques are related to devotional affairs like worship, so they should be financed through lawful (halal) ways. Hence, it is not permissible for you to pay the interest of your money to the mosque.

Responding to your question, Dr. Monzer Kahf, a prominent Muslim economist and counselor, stated,

"Earned interest (according to Shari`ah it is not really earned) should be given to the poor and needy and the like of objectives that serve the community at large.

 

In conclusion, I would not suggest giving it for operating expenses of the mosque unless it is specifically used for the bathroom areas and their like, not Can I Pay My Bank Interest to a Mosque for anything related to the prayers area because it is more respected than being financed from haram.

Allah Almighty knows best. `