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Fatwa CenterRuling on spending donations on something other than what they were collected for
Question
I collected donations in my college for a project related to planting trees, but my family situation is very poor I'm an orphan and my mother earns very little so can i use that donation amount for my studies and basic house needs?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu`alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.
It is not permissible for you to take anything from these donations that you collected to plant trees if the donors paid them for that purpose. You are an agent on behalf of these donors in their alms, and the agent is trustworthy, and it is not permissible for him to betray the trust or to breach it, and spending it on something other than what it was collected for is considered a betrayal and breach of the trust.
Then, if what your mother earns from the money is not sufficient for your basic needs of food, drink, clothing, housing, medicine, and other basic needs, and you have no other breadwinner, then it is permissible for you to take from the Zakat money - if you find it - due to poverty, and not as an orphan, as an orphan may be rich.
And we would like to inform you that an orphan according to Sharee'ah is the one whose father died when he was a child and did not reach puberty, and continues to be described as an orphan until he reaches puberty, because the Prophet, sallallaahu`alayhi wa sallam, said: “No one is considered an orphan after reaching puberty.” [Reported by Abu Dawood, and authenticated by Al-Albani].
Allah knows best.
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