Is It Permissible to Buy a Home in a Complex With a Temple?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul Rahim Reasat

Question

Is it permissible to buy an apartment in a complex that shares facilities with a temple?

Answer

In the name of Allah, the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful.

All praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all beings, and may peace and blessings be upon our master Muhammad (Allah bless him and give him peace).

It is permissible to purchase an apartment in this complex. You would not be actively assisting in any sin, and even the contribution towards the general maintenance would not be a sin. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]

You can assume your payment goes toward the cleaning and upkeep of the commonly shared areas, not specifically toward the Hindu temple.

Make a general intention of making a payment towards the upkeep of the areas you use. Should also make an intention of contributing towards removing potentially harmful objects and litter from the path, and that could be an application of the hadith:

“…and for you to remove something harmful from the road is an act of charity.” [Bukhari and Muslim]

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began studying Arabic Grammar and Morphology whilst studying for a degree in English and History. After graduating, He traveled to Damascus and studied Arabic, Hanafi Fiqh, Usul al-Fiqh, Theology, and Logic with Shaykh Adnan Darwish, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Rahman Arjan al-Binsawi, Shaykh Husayn Darwish, Shaykh Muhammad Darwish, the late Shaykh Rashad Shams, and others. He then moved to Amman to continue his studies in those fields, as well as in Tafsir, Quranic Sciences, Hadith Methodology and Commentary, Prophetic Biography, Prophetic Perfections and Traits, Rhetoric, Arabic Literature, and Tajwid. His teachers include Shaykh Ali Hani, Dr. Hamza al-Bakri, Dr Salah Abu al-Hajj, Dr Mansur Abu Zina, Shaykh Ahmad Hasanat, Shaykh Ahmad Jammal, and others.