What is to be done with the money placed in graveyards and shrines?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : As for the candles and coins that ignorant people place in the graves of those they call awliya (close friends of Allah), is it permissible to take them?
The Shaykh : Do you mean is it permissible to steal them?
The questioner : Yes, exactly.
The Shaykh : Of course, it is not permissible.
The questioner : What should we do with them?
The Shaykh : It is not for you to do anything other than advise and remind them that these are acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and polytheism. When you are able to establish the Muslim state and become a ruler, then we entrust you with confiscating them and spending them in lawful facilities.
The questioner : Yes, exactly.
The Shaykh : But as long as you are an individual, it is not for you to do anything other than reminding and advising.
The questioner : So we leave them as they are and do not touch them?
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : Do we not say, O Shaykh, that they have exited their ownership voluntarily and placed them in a place? So what do you say about this statement, if one finds these candles and the like?
The Shaykh : Yes, of course, I say exactly as you said, they have exited their ownership...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But did they own them?
The questioner : No, they did not own them.
The Shaykh : The important point is this, regarding you and me. It is not important whether they exited their ownership or not; the important thing is whether they owned them or not?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Therefore, it is not permissible for us to take ownership of them.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : Do you mean is it permissible to steal them?
The questioner : Yes, exactly.
The Shaykh : Of course, it is not permissible.
The questioner : What should we do with them?
The Shaykh : It is not for you to do anything other than advise and remind them that these are acts of shirk (associating partners with Allah) and polytheism. When you are able to establish the Muslim state and become a ruler, then we entrust you with confiscating them and spending them in lawful facilities.
The questioner : Yes, exactly.
The Shaykh : But as long as you are an individual, it is not for you to do anything other than reminding and advising.
The questioner : So we leave them as they are and do not touch them?
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : Do we not say, O Shaykh, that they have exited their ownership voluntarily and placed them in a place? So what do you say about this statement, if one finds these candles and the like?
The Shaykh : Yes, of course, I say exactly as you said, they have exited their ownership...
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : But did they own them?
The questioner : No, they did not own them.
The Shaykh : The important point is this, regarding you and me. It is not important whether they exited their ownership or not; the important thing is whether they owned them or not?
The questioner: No.
The Shaykh : Therefore, it is not permissible for us to take ownership of them.
The questioner: Yes.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.