Collecting donations to help the destitute

Question

About five years ago someone murdered a man. The murdered man left behind a wife, his mother, five sons and two daughters. Sincere and sympathetic members of the community had a reasonable sum paid by the murderer to the children of the murdered man. These people invested that sum in the names of the murdered man’s children according to the calculation below and handed it over to the custody of the trust of a mosque or madrasa, so that this trust would keep safeguarding it, and so that the children of the murdered…

Answer

(1) If this sum is not sufficient for their expenses, and the expenses are greater, then collecting donations for them is correct according to the Sacred Law. (2) Since their needs are not met by this sum, giving zakat and charities is also correct. If this sum exceeds their needs, then they are not entitled to zakat, and in that case the zakat will not be discharged. (3)

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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