How unlawful wealth is to be disposed of

Question

Question: All his life Zayd committed sins and did not pray; he lent money on riba (interest), spent the riba money on his food and drink, and also accumulated it. But at the end of his life Zayd repented (tawba), sought forgiveness (istighfar) and became fully regular in fasting and prayer. However, he wants to use this money of his for the mosque. May this money of his be used for the expenses of the mosque or not? If not, in what way should it be spent?

Answer

Wealth (money) earned in a haram way may not be spent on the mosque. That money should be returned to its original owner; if he is not there, it should be given to his heirs; if they too are not there, or they are not known, it should be given in sadaqa to the poor on behalf of the original owner.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.