Moving endowed mosque furnishings to another mosque

A question on moving endowed carpets and books from one mosque to another, in which Jordan's General Iftaa Department answered that they should in principle stay in their mosque, but may be moved if they can no longer be used there. ¹

The questioner asked about moving endowed furnishings, such as carpets and books, from one mosque to another. ¹

The Department answered that whatever is placed in a mosque as an endowment falls under the rules of endowment: its benefit stays with Muslims at large and no one owns it, and what was endowed to a particular mosque should in principle remain there out of respect for the endower's wish, so it may not be sold, given away or lent to a private party. ¹ It said endowed items that are worn out, or that have been replaced by equivalents, may be sold or moved once it is clear they cannot be used in that mosque and have become a burden on it, since moving them fulfils the endowment's purpose even in another place, while leaving them wastes their benefit entirely. ¹ It cited al-Nawawi's Rawdat al-Talibin that worn mosque mats are, on the sounder view, sold so they are not wasted, and I'anat al-Talibin that a mosque's mats and lamps may be moved to another mosque if it does not need them. ¹ It noted that decisions on such matters rest with the bodies responsible for endowment property. ¹

Jordan's General Iftaa Department published this fatwa on aliftaa.jo as no. 3822, dated 29 October 2023. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.