Endowment: Eligibility of Younger Successor as Trustee
Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei
Endowment: Eligibility of Younger Successor as Trustee
English:
Question #1996:
In an endowment deed, some of which is private and some public, the donor has stipulated that in the event of death of the present trustee, the trusteeship should be vested in the next eldest and most competent member among the male generation for generations to come, giving preference to the first generation over the second. A person of the first generation is suitable to assume the role of trustee, yet they declined to hold the office, agreeing that his younger brother, whom they think competent, to take over. Is it permissible for the younger person to be the trustee of the endowment, especially if they can fulfill all the requirements?
Answer #1996:
It is permissible for the person, who is qualified to be a trustee, not to accept it. But, if he accepts it, he cannot resign by caution. However, if it is not specified that he himself should do the job, he can appoint someone to run the trust on his behalf provided that the latter is trustworthy and capable. It is not permissible for the person from the next generation to assume the trusteeship of the endowment when there is someone else from the previous generation who is qualified and accepts to act as trustee.
-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Endowments