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Most of us Muslims give very little thought of any organizational structure as we tend to see Islam as a religion of personal responsibility between the individual and Allaah(swt). I suspect most are like myself and do not see Islam as being an organization. but rather a way of life.
I just realized many people probably have a long list of questions about the physical and organizational structure of Islam. Some Questions come to mind.
What happens to any money collected in a Mosque?
How is the clergy selected?
What levels of clergy are there?
What is a Mosque?
Who owns a Mosque?
What is an Islamic Center?
How are Muslims taught about Islam?
What authority does the government of Saudi Arabia have over Muslims?
How is Islamic Clergy structured, is there a rank system were some have authority over others?
Please add any questions you may have related to the organizational structure of Islam. I also ask the other Muslim members to help me answer any questions.
I know that is a concern with many people. the fact is very little if any money is ever collected at most Mosques. We do not tithe although we are obligated to donate to charity. any money collected by a Mosque is to remain in the local community and benefit all members of the community.
As for the expenses incurred by a Mosque it is not unusual for those to be paid by the Imam who often built the Mosque with his own funds.
In the US the current trend is for the local community to form an Islamic society and join their resources to build a Mosque and possibly hire a full time Imam.
On occasion a Mosque will raise money for a special purpose such as a needy family or disaster relief anyplace in the world.
Nearly always any money collected by a Mosque stays in the local area.
We have no ordained clergy. The concept of Islamic clergy does differ from the Christian concept of such. Although there are some similarities between an Imaam and a Pastor.
The role of the Imaam may be just to lead the prayers or it can be as complex as overlooking the local community and taking care of the Mosque.
An Imaam may simply be just the oldest male present at Prayer time. He may be the person who built the Mosque and provides for the financial upkeep or He may be selected by the local community in the event the Mosque was paid for with community funds.
Other titles such as Mufti, Mullah, Sheik etc are based upon an individual's academic achievement and/or leadership role in the community. It is more of a descriptive name rather than an authoritative label.
There are no ordained clergy and there is no distinction between laity and liturgical. All Muslims are equal in the Mosque.
We may view any persons academic and life achievements as reason to accept their words as factual and come to the conclusion they know more about specific subjects than we personally do. Such as a scholar with a Ph.D in Islamic Jurisprudence probably has more knowledge of shariah law than our friend Ahmad who works as a 7-11 clerk. Like wise a Mufti with degrees in Islamic studies and the science of Ahadith probably has more knowledge of the Qur'an than most of us. But they have no more authority in the Mosque than any one of us present for prayer.
A Mosque is nothing more and nothing less than a shelter where Muslims pray within. Typically the interior is very stoic with no furniture a few plain decorations. About all one will notice is a marking for the direction of the Qibblah.
A Mosque can be as small as a single room in the Imaam's house or it can be as elaborate as the Taj Mahal. a Mosque is usually only large enough to contain most of the local Muslim population. Although many prefer to say the prayers outdoors on or near the Mosque grounds.
Actually it is not a question of ownership but of responsibility for the upkeep.
In the case of a small Mosque this is often the Imaam and his Family.
For a larger Mosque the local community usually takes on the responsibility for example one family may agree to pay the rent another may pay the utility bills another may provide cleaning services.
On a large one a Mosque committee may form which in turn takes on the responsibility.
Some Mosques will on occasion place a box near the front door in which anyone can drop in a donation to help with the bills. This is to be done in privacy as we are not to openly donate or make it known who or what we donate to. If you drop in a donation you attempt to do so with out anyone seeing you do so.
This is typically an outgrowth of the local Muslim community. Typically a Mosque comes first then as the Muslim population grows there is a need for Islamic resources such as a library, classrooms for the teaching of Qur'anic Arabic, Group meeting areas for things like community celebrations of the 2 Eids, etc. A consequence of this is often the formation of a local Islamic society and/or Mosque Committee. Usually begun by the wealthiest members of the community.
From there comes growth and expansion of the Mosque usually including additional buildings this becomes the Islamic Center. Nearly all if not all growth comes from and is supported by the local Muslim community. Seldom if ever does any assistance come from outside the local community. We do not get any financial support or aid from some central Islamic source. We do everything on our own with local people and local resources.
Typically a Muslim's education begins at home with his Mother. The Basics taught at home are usually how to perform the prayers, do wadu, Knowledge of fasting for Ramadan, the Pillars of Faith, and a rudimentary introduction of Qur'anic Arabic. Much of this comes from simply watching family practices.
If the Islamic community is large enough to have a madrassa a child may have the opportunity to learn from there.
After reaching the age of reason and the ability to read, further education often comes from self exploration and questioning.
the main sources for an Islamic education are:
Family and friends
Asking those who seem to have more knowledge
Reading the Qur'an, Ahadith, Fiqh-ul-Sunnah and the Tafsir of various scholars.
Just my personal observation I find some of us never learn beyond what we were taught by Family and Friends. Which often is the Bare minimum. Most, probably all of the Muslim members that post on this forum appear to have a very good understanding of Islam and are well educated. Perhaps some will share the source of their Islamic education here.
How is Islamic Clergy structured, is there a rank system were some have authority over others?
There is no clergy structure. In terms of religion all Muslims are equal. There is no rank or chain of command.
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What happens to any money collected in a Mosque?
