Is it permissible to spend forbidden money on copying tapes, printing books, or building a mosque?

The Shaykh:
Yes.

The presenter:
Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh:
Peace be upon you.

The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz. May Allah greet you. How are you, Shaykh? I have three questions. May Allah preserve you, Shaykh. May Allah preserve you. Good.

The questioner:
Regarding, Shaykh, a man who says he has twenty thousand riyals that he earned from forbidden money, riba (usury or interest). Is it permissible for him to spend it on copying tapes for teaching religion, or books, or to give it as charity, or to build a mosque with it?

The Shaykh:
Buying off the hardship and giving charity with it is permissible. As for the mosque, it is safer to leave it.

The questioner:
Leaving it is safer. And the tapes and books, Shaykh?

The Shaykh:
There is no harm. May Allah record it for you as a reward, and may He reward you with good, Shaykh.