What is the ruling for the personal use of articles belonging to mosques and exposing them to damage such as ladders, water for washing cars in front of the mosque and electricity to light homes?

It is established in Islamic law that it is impermissible to remove any item belonging to the mosque for personal use since they are endowments. Such endowments may include floor mats, electric bulbs, vacuum cleaners, miscellaneous cleaning items and water.

Preserving mosques

The Prophet [PBUH] stressed the importance of preserving articles belonging to mosques, no matter how small or of little use, warning against removing them from there. He said, "A pebble implores the person who removes it from a mosque [to leave it in its place]" [Abu Dawud].

At the time of the Prophet [PBUH] the mosque was carpeted with pebbles. The janitor or the person in charge of the mosque must be mindful of Allah and do his job faithfully. He must know that using anything belonging to mosque for other purposes is a major sin and a betrayal of trust. Allah the Majestic says:

O you, who believe, do not betray Allah and the Messenger or betray your trusts while you know [the consequence]. [Qur`an 8:27]

This act exposes mosques and their utilities to damage. Allah says in His holy Book:

And who are more unjust than those who prevent the name of Allah from being mentioned in His mosques and strive toward their destruction. [Qur`an 2:114]

Moreover, it wastes property of Muslims and the ministry of Religious Endowments which supervises endowments made by Muslims.