Is it better to organize projects for breaking the fast for fasting people, or to give charity to the poor?

The questioner : I say it is a good custom that you have adopted. Some of the residents of the neighborhood gather amounts of money and agree with some restaurants to cook rice and soup, and they bring it into the mosque. Would it not be better to distribute this, take the leftovers, and distribute them to the poor among the residents of the neighborhood? In such a way that you remove from this the harm of the mosque’s carpet, or as some sources indicate, there are camps outside where this food is consumed only by non-Muslim workers, while there are poor people in the neighborhood whom only Allah knows about. What is your opinion on this?

The Shaykh : Some people, if you give them something uncooked, might find it difficult to cook and prepare it. No, but as for non-Muslims entering the mosque, that is up to Allah. However, if the food for breaking the fast is restricted to Muslims only...

The questioner : And if I intend for the mosque to have dates, milk, and water, this is sufficient at the same time. And if Allah wills to guide them to Islam, that is good. This is regarding the poor, widows, and the elderly, meaning households whose condition is known only to Allah and whom no one supports. Is it not better to distribute this to them?

The Shaykh : No, this is definitely better. This is better. But sometimes a person does not know who the poor are in the neighborhood.

The questioner : In any case, we do not sit on your time. May Allah reward you with good. I entrust you to Allah.

The Shaykh : What you learn by yourself is better.

The questioner : The one who knows it is me. And my intention is that we know the poor in the neighborhood around us, meaning those who will not take what is hidden from them. I entrust you to Allah. Peace be upon you. May Allah reward you with good.