Donations Collected for One Purpose But Used for Another

By Mufti Muhammad Kadwa
Posted: 6 Muharram 1423, 21 March 2002


Q.) When a request for donations (Zakaat, Sadaqah and Lillah)are made for a specific purpose, can this donation be used for another project? For example, donations received for the Gujarat Earthquake, can this donation be used for helping the brothers, sisters and children affected by the recent communal violence in Gujarat? Jazakallah [Mohammed Esmail, Ilford Essex England]

A.) The person receiving the donations should employ the funds collected for the specific purpose. In principle, the leftover funds should be returned to the owners. However, where this is not practical - as the case is nowadays - the funds may be employed for projects of a similar nature. And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

CHECKED AND APPROVED CORRECT: Mufti Ebrahim Desai