Endowments

In 1960 my late father endowed one acre of his land, the proceeds of which were to be spent on a specific mosque in the village. The deed of endowment is unregistered.
Today, the villagers request that my brothers and I change this endowment and channel the proceeds towards constructing an Azhar affiliated institution since there isn't any in our village and because the mosque is administered by the ministry of Religious Trust.
On the other hand, this is better for us—the heirs—so that none of us may weaken at any time in the future and demand his share in the land, taking advantage that the piece of land is unregistered. Is our act of changing the endowment from a mosque to an Azhar institution permissible

We have a small mosque in our neighborhood which does not accommodate all of those who wish to offer prayers in it. It is administered by the Ministry of Religious Trust under decree no.16 for the year 2000 CE. My house is adjoined to the mosque's restrooms which comprises 4 cubicles. I want to exchange the land on which the restrooms are built (which does not exceed 18 square meters) for 200 square meters of my own land to build an entryway to my house. The piece of land I will give to the mosque lies in the direction of the qibla and will facilitate expansion of the mosque. 

Before concluding the contract, I proceeded to the Endowments Directorate and submitted my offer verbally. I was told that my offer will be declined unless I build new restrooms with my own money. I was further told that after constructions have been completed, a committee from the Municipal Directorate will inspect the new structure. I built six cubicles in addition to a place for ablution—all built to high standards.

I also laid the foundations for the expansion of the mosque on the remaining area of land as shown in the attached diagram. In this manner, the mosque will become a well ventilated single big structure. I then proceeded to the Ministry of Religious Trust for a formal approval of the exchange only to learn that my offer will be rejected for reasons of public interest except after the matter is referred to his eminence the Grand Mufti of Egypt for approval. In view of this, I request your opinion to submit to the ministry of Religious Trust.
 

My client's father endowed a parcel of farmable land and stipulated that its proceeds be directed towards the family mosque to cover any expenses and repairs and the wages of the mosque imam. The land is to be cultivated by the endowment's administrator, my client's husband. The mosque later came under the administration and supervision of the Ministry of Religious Trust. Since the family is wealthy and capable of covering any expenses needed by the mosque, is it permissible to direct the proceeds of the land to any charity or orphanage?

What is the legal ruling for establishing an endowment and pledging the proceeds to the Model Azhari Institute for Outstanding Students (preparatory and secondary divisions) at Tafhanat al-Ashraf, Meet Ghamr, Daqahliyya Governate? The purpose of this endowment is to spend from its proceeds on education expenditures, lodgings, educational tools and uniforms of the students. The institute offers free board and education.

Is it permissible to rent fruit trees and paying the rent in advance?

A mosque in our village was erected on a piece of land, all of which has been
designated solely for the mosque. The mosque was later affiliated to the Ministry of Religious Trusts which subsequently closed it down because of life-threatening structural damage. The villagers collected donations to reconstruct the mosque and intend to include a reception hall. What is the ruling on this?