The value of a vow is for the poor

Question

Question: I have a factory in which steel goods are manufactured, and in making utensils a lot of scrap is left over after cutting and trimming. So I said: “Whatever steel scrap there is, its money I will spend for Allah on the poor.” Now many people come collecting donations for mosques. Can I give to a mosque from this very money?

Answer

You said, “I will spend it for Allah on the poor,” so now give it to the destitute (miskins) and the needy, not to the mosque: those who benefit from it are all, rich and poor alike.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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