Fatwa No : 36195
Having a sedan chair in the masjid and charging whoever wants to use it

Having a sedan chair in the masjid and charging whoever wants to use it

There is a sedan chair (ڈولی: the chair in which a bride sits, and is carried by to people who take her to her husband's house on the day of their wedding) in our masjid. The administrators of the masjid charges Rs.500 to whoever wants to use it on their wedding day. Some people are saying that this is a Hindu tradition, hence there should not be a sedan chair in the masjid. Is it okay for us to have this in the Masjid, and can the charges taken for using it be spent on the masjid?

الجوابُ حامِدا ًو مُصلیِّا ً

It will be permissible to spend the money taken for using the sedan chair on the necessities of the masjid. Moreover, this tradition cannot be specifically ascribed to Hinduism, since the sedan chair was used to carry the wives of the Holy Prophet ﷺ on the day of their wedding and on other occasions.
And Allah knows best.

مأخَذُ الفَتوی

فی الدر المختار: (ولو قف العقار ببقرہ وأکرتہ) (إلی قولہ) (ویبدأ من غلتہ بعمارتہ) ثم ما ھو أقرب لعمارتہ کإمام مسجد ومدرس مدرسۃ یعطون بقدر کفایتھم ثم السراج والبساط اھـ وفی الشامیۃ تحت (قولہ: ویبدأ من غلتہ بعمارتہ) أی قبل الصرف إلی المستحقین۔ اھـ (ج٤، ص٣٤٤) واللہ اعلم