Is it charity to collect contributions and eat them oneself?

Question

During an illness, something was collected in the village for charity, and they cooked it and ate it themselves. Is this charity lawful according to the Shari‘a or not?

Answer

This is not charity. Rather, the charity and almsgiving (tasadduq) that are commanded in the noble hadith, and by which calamity is averted, consist in giving to the poor and the needy. A wealthy person should not eat sadaqa.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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