Renting land endowed to a church and purchasing items intended for the church

As for a Muslim’s renting land that has been endowed to a church, or his purchasing goods that are being sold for the benefit of the church, Imām Aḥmad—may Allah have mercy on him—ruled categorically that this is forbidden: he must not rent it, for he must not assist them in what they are doing. Al-Āmidī and others issued the same unconditional prohibition.

The ruling is likewise if he buys property with funds endowed or bequeathed to the church, or if he sells them tools with which they build a church or the like; indeed, the prohibition here is even more emphatic, for the very money he receives will be spent on sin. It is comparable to selling grape juice to someone who will turn it into wine. This differs from merely letting them reside in a house: the residence itself is not unlawful, though they commit sin within it. It is somewhat akin to selling them bread, meat, or clothing that they might use in their disbelief—although providing lodging is more serious—for eating and drinking are not intrinsically forbidden, whereas the benefit contracted for in the lease, namely their stay, may itself be unlawful. Do you not see that, in general, a man is not forbidden to give charity to unbelievers or blatant sinners, yet he is forbidden to allow someone who disbelieves or openly sins to remain in his house?

We have already cited Ibn al-Qāsim’s explicit statement that such purchasing is impermissible, and al-Shāfiʿī likewise gave an unrestricted ruling that assisting them in building a church and the like is forbidden. He said in the Book of Jizyah in al-Umm: “If a dhimmī were to bequeath one-third of his estate, or any portion of it, for building a church in which the Christians perform their prayers, or for hiring servants for the church, or for repairing the church,