❖ Sharʿī Ruling on Spending Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr, Sacrificial Animal Hides, and Zakāh on Mosques
Reference: Fatāwā Shaykh al-Ḥadīth Mubārakpūrī, Vol. 1, p. 191
❀ Question
Can the proceeds of Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr, sacrificial animal hides, or zakāh be used for mosque-related needs such as whitewashing, lighting, or repairing the mosque’s walls?
(Questioner: ʿAbd al-Raḥīm, Teacher and Imām, Masjid Ahl al-Ḥadīth, Harsiyāh)
❀ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
① Sacrificial Animal Hides
- The price of sacrificial animal hides or proceeds derived from them cannot be used for mosque construction or repair.
- The original recipients of sacrificial hides are the poor and needy, as stated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī and other books of ḥadīth.
- The one who performs the sacrifice may personally benefit from the hide without selling it, e.g., by making a prayer mat, bag, or other items.
- But selling it and spending the proceeds on the mosque is not permissible.
② Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr and Zakāh
- The rulings of zakāh and ṣadaqat al-fiṭr are the same.
- Their eligible recipients are clearly mentioned in the Qur’an, Sūrah al-Tawbah (9:60):
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
“Indeed, ṣadaqāt are only for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect them, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, for freeing captives, for those in debt, for the cause of Allah, and for the stranded traveler – a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is Knowing, Wise.”
- Since the mosque is not included in these eight categories (maṣārīf thamāniyyah), it is impermissible to spend zakāh or ṣadaqat al-fiṭr on mosques.
Reference: Muḥaddith Dihlawī, Vol. 8, Issue 12, Rabīʿ al-Awwal 1260 AH / April 1942
ھذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
