Your local mosque
Masjid donation: keeping your mosque open
Lights, heating, an imam and a madrasah, every week of the year. Here is how to support them well.
What a masjid donation pays for
The everyday running of your mosque: heating and light, the imam, cleaning and repairs, and the madrasah. None of it stops after the opening day.
A steady monthly gift lets the committee plan; building a new mosque is another matter, covered by our sister site Build a Mosque.
For a gift that keeps going, see sadaqah jariyah on DonateOpenly.
Whoever builds a mosque for the sake of Allah, Allah builds for him a house like it in Paradise.
Where a masjid donation goes
Bills
Gas, electricity and water for a building open from Fajr to Isha.
The imam
A salary, and often a home, for the person who leads the prayers and teaches.
Upkeep
Cleaning, repairs, carpets and safety checks.
The madrasah
Teachers and books for children’s classes.
Three ways to support your mosque well
- Give a little every month, by standing order or payroll giving.
- Sign the Gift Aid form if you pay UK tax.
- Read its accounts once a year.
Questions about a masjid donation
Is a gift to the mosque’s running costs rewarded like building one?
A mosque someone built is among the good that keeps reaching them after death (Sunan Ibn Majah 242), and the deeds most loved are the regular ones, even if small (Sahih al-Bukhari 6464).
Can I give my zakat to my mosque?
Only to a fund that passes zakat to the people named in Quran 9:60; bills and salaries are not among them. Ask whether your mosque keeps a separate zakat fund.
Does Gift Aid work on a masjid donation?
Yes, if the mosque is a registered charity and you pay enough UK tax: it adds 25p to every £1 (GOV.UK).
Where can I learn more about sadaqah?
See the guide to sadaqah on Muslims Around the World.