Spending Money Obtained by Begging on a Mosque

Question

In our neighbourhood lives an elderly woman who has no means of livelihood; she has taken up begging as her occupation, and the people of the neighbourhood help her. Thus some of the money she received by begging accumulated with her, and she had a prayer mat, a copy of the Noble Qur’an and a set of prayer beads (tasbih) brought for the mosque. People object, saying that neither is prayer on it permissible, nor will the old woman receive any reward. The old woman is still alive. What should be done?

Answer

Begging without necessity is a sin. However, since she asked for money and the people of the neighbourhood gave it to her willingly, the old woman became its owner, and what she has given to the mosque was validly given. Prayer on this prayer mat is permissible without any doubt. The old woman should be made to understand: “It is no longer proper for you to beg.”

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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