Spending Mosque Donations on a Public Cause

Question

Some people collected money for a mosque, but they want to spend that money on a public cause. Although proper accounts with receipts exist, having all the donors present, or going to their homes to ask them, is a difficult matter. What is the ruling of the Shariʿa in such a situation?

Answer

In the same way as the donations were collected (by gathering them together or by going to their homes), let permission be taken from them in that way, or let their donations be returned to them. When the receipts are available, what difficulty is there in this?

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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