Various masaail of the Musjid

Distributing parcels and hampers from the Musjid

Q: The following appears in "The Three Harams" by Madrasah Ta’leemuddeen:

"Do not distribute parcels, hampers and other goods in the musjid. Similarly, do not make the musjid a drop off point for collecting parcels."

Please advise:

(1) What is the status of distributing parcels and hampers in the Musjid parking lot and yard? This happens in poor areas in KZN, where Muslim and Ulama relief groups or individuals, arrange for the distribution of groceries and blankets in the Musjid yard. People, males and females, line up and collect.

(2) Distributing Qurbani meat in the Masjid parking lot / yard. Is this correct?

(3) A feeding scheme takes place for the poor children after afternoon Madrasah at the Masjid. The children sit and eat in the madrasah section, which is a large room adjoining the last saff. Is this permissible?

(4) Grocery hampers are distributed to poor people in the Masjid entrance/shoe rack area, the goods are given to poor people as they leave. Is this permissible?

Collective forms of ibaadah taking precedence over individual forms of ibaadah in a Musjid

Q: Our Imaam mentioned a few points, which I wanted to clarify. The gist of the points is that in the Masjid, collective forms of Ibaadah always take precedence over individual.

1. If 5 minutes are allotted to read sunnah salaah before the khutbah, one should complete salaah in that time, to avoid inconvenience to the imaam, who has to wait for people who go over this time.

My question is, what if someone takes six or seven minutes. Is this incorrect or should the imaam wait patiently for such a person?

2. If after salaah, a jamaat is having a lecture, or there is some type of programme, the muqtadis should try and complete their salaah quickly or move to the back, so that the programme can commence as soon as possible.

Are these points correct?

Women in haidh entering Aqsa courtyard

Q: Can a woman in menstruation (haidh) enter the Masjid al-Aqsa compound? This is a compound surrounded by walls which contains several buildings such as the Dome of the Rock, Masjid al-Qibli, etc. Is the entire compound counted as the masjid (meaning that woman in menstruation can't enter) or is just the buildings counted as masjid and the rest as courtyard (which a woman in menstruation can enter)?

Dismissing a trustee

Q: Can a person be allowed to be the trustee of a musjid when work in repairs of a masjid could be done for R6000 and he presents a quote for R60000 without really checking the true extent of repairs required. Should such a person be expelled from the Trust and can this be classified as deception and abuse of amanaat funds?

Trustee claiming the money he contributed to the Musjid

Q: A group of trustees were under the impression that one of the trustees was actively maintaining the musjid using his personal funds for the pleasure of Allah Ta'ala. In one meeting this trustee mentioned that the funds he had contributed was not his contribution but a loan for 2 years of maintenance. Had the other trustees knew that from the beginning, they would not have allowed him to accumulate such a debt.

Moreover this trustee was making unilateral decisions and marginalizing the rest of the trustees. In short the other trustees had no say and when they contested all would end up in an argument. Are we obliged to repay the debt?

Women going to the musjid

Q: I would like to inquire as to whether or not it is permissible for a male to teach women. At my local masjid, a sheikh gives a class and the women sit in the masjid. There is separation between the men and the women as they sit on opposite sides of the masjid. To me, this just doesn't feel right.