It is not permissible for one who is not among the recipients of zakah to take it and spend it in the avenues of righteousness
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Fatwa number ( 16692 )
Q: I am a young man from Upper Egypt , and I work as an imam in one of the private mosques in Jeddah , and I receive a monthly salary from the owner of the mosque amounting to (1300 riyals), and praise be to Allah, this salary is sufficient for me and my family consisting of five members, and every year in the blessed month of Ramadan, some of the worshippers give me some riyals for myself and the mu'adhdhin, and we used to take it and spend it without knowing whether this amount was a gift, charity, or zakah al-mal, so I doubted the matter and feared that this money might be from the zakah, so I resolved to return all the money I had taken in the past years, which is approximately (4500 riyals); in accordance with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):Sunan an-Nasa'i 5711Sahih (Darussalam) But I now possess nothing, and I have debts of approximately (6000 riyals), knowing that when I was taking this money, I had no debt, but I lent some young men an amount of (4500 riyals) two years ago, and this young man is in debt and unable to pay, and he has not given me the amount until now, so if I leave this amount for him in exchange for
the amount I took, will I have cleared my conscience before Allah, or what is required of me? Please inform us, may you be rewarded, and if the worshippers give me some money in this blessed month as is their custom, is it permissible for me to take it and pay off my debts with it, or should I return it to them?
A : If what was given to you was a gift, it is established from the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he gave gifts and accepted gifts, so it is recommended for the Muslim to accept it, provided he does not have authority such as a judge or the like, and provided the gift is not from a borrower to one who lent to him, unless custom has established such a practice. And if what was given to you was zakah, if you are among its recipients, it is permissible for you, and if you are not among its recipients, it is not permissible for you to accept it, and you must return the amount to the one who gave it to you if you know him, or if not, pay it to the poor and the needy with the intention on behalf of its owner, and it is not permissible for you to pay it to the debtor mentioned, and if it was voluntary charity, there is no harm in accepting it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: I am a young man from Upper Egypt , and I work as an imam in one of the private mosques in Jeddah , and I receive a monthly salary from the owner of the mosque amounting to (1300 riyals), and praise be to Allah, this salary is sufficient for me and my family consisting of five members, and every year in the blessed month of Ramadan, some of the worshippers give me some riyals for myself and the mu'adhdhin, and we used to take it and spend it without knowing whether this amount was a gift, charity, or zakah al-mal, so I doubted the matter and feared that this money might be from the zakah, so I resolved to return all the money I had taken in the past years, which is approximately (4500 riyals); in accordance with the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him):
Leave that which makes you doubt for that which does not make you doubt.
دع ما يريبك إلى ما لا يريبكthe amount I took, will I have cleared my conscience before Allah, or what is required of me? Please inform us, may you be rewarded, and if the worshippers give me some money in this blessed month as is their custom, is it permissible for me to take it and pay off my debts with it, or should I return it to them?
A : If what was given to you was a gift, it is established from the guidance of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he gave gifts and accepted gifts, so it is recommended for the Muslim to accept it, provided he does not have authority such as a judge or the like, and provided the gift is not from a borrower to one who lent to him, unless custom has established such a practice. And if what was given to you was zakah, if you are among its recipients, it is permissible for you, and if you are not among its recipients, it is not permissible for you to accept it, and you must return the amount to the one who gave it to you if you know him, or if not, pay it to the poor and the needy with the intention on behalf of its owner, and it is not permissible for you to pay it to the debtor mentioned, and if it was voluntary charity, there is no harm in accepting it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.