Project Sustainability

Project sustainability is the most important aspect that has to be given the first priority before starting project development and management. Planning for project sustainability is long term investment that serves the present and the future. For example when proposing building a Masjid, you think of its long term self-sustenance socially, economically and politically.

Social Sustainability of a Masjid   

Maintain the best hospitality services to the congregation with positive lectures, sermons, preaching’s, needed by the community attending the Masjid so that they continue coming and increase in the number of their attendance. The administration hired for management of the mosque must highly qualified in public management. Offering free services without charges or minimal charges to support the masjid is vital procedure and priority aspect that must be adhered such as burial services, marriage ceremonies, etc.

The Masjid must be the first choice for the poor and those in need , mosque management must link between the poor and those in need and the public, it’s the work of the mosque management to address the congregants regarding the needs of the poor and those in need asking for help on their behalf. The Masjid must not only be for men, it has to be for all men and women, rich and poor, travellers and citizens.

Economic sustainability of a Masjid

Economic sustainability of a masjid is clearly documented in Islam and it is applied, this is the investment in long term immovable money generating businesses dealing in estates called Waqfu Endowments.

As we plan to build a masjid, we must plan to build a separate building for income generation to financially support the masjid. This is an investment which is intended for long term benefits for sustainability of the masjid project. Finances generated from Waqfu (Endowments) monthly is used to pay mosque staff,  lights and water, seasonal renovations to keep Masjid Clean and re- building of the same Masjid after getting old and small for increasing number of congregants.

Orphanage

The most important part of society is acknowledgment of their orphans and widows and immediately take measures to help the family of the deceased. It’s the same masjid that conducts funeral using endowment finances and contributions from the congregants, the same must immediately after the burial make sure that the family left behind is taken care of with basic needs such as food, water and electricity, orphaned children going to school, medical expenses,  clothing’s, etc.

Travelers

It’s a must for Masjid management to welcome a traveller with smile that make him or her feel at home without questions or hostile reception. On the budget of a mosque, the management must take care of travellers if they reach at the mosque and request for help. It’s a must to help travellers with accommodation, food, and transport to continue with their journeys.

Needy

Its responsibility of a mosque to make sure the needy of the community are attended and get help they need without waiting for them to ask for help because they will be clearly known and acknowledged. It’s the work of Mosque administration to engage the public individually and generally to help those in need in the community due to old age, sickness, accidents, loss of income, new married couple, new baby born, etc.  

Debts

The Mosque must pay debts of those who could not pay back their debts due to deaths, sickness, accidents and loss from fire, etc.

  Prisoners

The Mosque Management must keep the public aware of their prisoners, must visit them regularly in prisons and preach to them the same way they preach their congregants at the Mosque. The management of the mosque must take care if the families of the prisoners will all required basic needs including education of the children, accommodation, medical care, and help families to visit their loved ones who are behind bars. The management must also help with legal aid for justice of the prisoner if necessary.

Business Rescue

The management of a mosque must take steps to rescue business of a good person who has been helping and supporting Mosque financially from his businesses, when he or she get losses, it’s the mosque to rescue that business financially so that the owner continues to support himself and the community of that masjid and all other communities where help is needed.

So in order to equip mosque with future financial sustainability, we must develop viable Waqfu (endowments) that is able to financially support the mosque expenditures as mentioned above.   Development of endowments is a continuous project in order to accommodate increasing population of the community generation after generation.  

Political Sustainability of a Mosque

The mosque must have plans to train talented children chosen among others purposely to serve on the particular Mosque. This gives continuity of proper appointment the rightful staff of the Mosque and proper public management. 1these children are trained in fields of leadership and management with public entrepreneurship skills to serve the Mosque when they graduate and they are needed.

The Mosque Must be under one unified administration of authorities in charge of Islam and Muslim affairs. For example in some countries, mosques are under the authority of the initiators who establish their own rules and regulations, others form a community organisation and they make an administration team, others establish an organisation that takes care of the Masjid, while in Muslim countries mosques are under the authority of endowments, and in non-Islamic countries, the governments accredit an organisation as Muslim Supreme Council responsible for affairs of Mosques and its congregation.