If the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“No prize may be offered except for archery, camel racing, or horse racing,”

and the jurists versed in hadith and their followers acted upon this hadith—thus he prohibited offering money for competitions except those that assist in jihad, which is an act of obedience to Allah Most High—then how can it be permissible to provide remuneration in perpetuity to someone who continually performs an act that is not obedience to Allah Most High?

This principle is well known among scholars, although people’s opinions and inclinations may differ concerning some of its applications. It is not possible here to elaborate on this general principle. Yet someone guided by Allah Most High will rarely fail to recognize what is intended in most cases. Scholars call principles of this kind “ascertaining the grounds for applying a ruling.” For example, they all require moral integrity in witnesses and oblige the provision of reasonable maintenance, and so forth.

Their juristic judgments may nevertheless differ concerning certain requirements: is a particular requirement necessary for moral integrity? They also differ over what constitutes reasonable maintenance. We shall mention an example that illustrates this.

As for a stipulation that the residents of a religious lodge or school perform the five obligatory prayers there, if this serves a purpose recognized by Islamic law, it is comparable to someone vowing to pray in a particular place. If specifying that place is a means of drawing closer to Allah, the vow must be fulfilled by praying there, unless one performs a prayer equivalent to that prayer or better; otherwise,