Pivotal Excerpt
❝Regarding somebody who bakes birthday cakes and gives charity from the money they earned, the principle is that the wealth is forbidden for the one who earned it. As for the one who accepts a gift or charity from them in a lawful way, then that is not forbidden for the receiver. However some of the people of knowledge say that the best option is to abstain from accepting such a gift. That is better. Wa Allāhu aʿlam.❞
Question and Answer [3:23 Mins]
Question:
What is the ruling regarding accepting charity from someone whose earnings come from baking cakes for occasions like birthdays?
Answer:
Alḥamdu lillāh, the scholars, past and present, have addressed this matter. One of the present scholars is Shaykh Muḥammad Ibn Ṣāliḥ Al-ʿUthaymīn (رحمه الله). He lays out some important principles that allow us to maneuver through our lives as it relates to these matters. Likewise, there are similar questions such as, “Can I accept a gift from my father if his earnings are from unlawful means?”
There are two categories as it relates to this topic,
- that which is Muḥarram Al-ʿAyn – unlawful in and of itself, and
- that which is Muḥarram li-Kasbihī – unlawful for the one who earned it.
Muḥarram Al-ʿAyn – It is unlawful in and of itself
Shaykh Al-‘Uthaymīn (رحمه الله) mentioned,
أما ما كان حراماً بعينه فإنه حرام على الكاسب وعلى غيره
“That which is forbidden in and of itself, Muḥarram Al-‘Ayn, then it is forbidden for the one who acquired it and anyone else.”
كما لو علمت أن هذا السارق سرق هذا الشيء من فلان فإنه لا يحل لك أن تأخذ هذا المسروق
“If you knew that a thief stole such and such an item from a person, then it is not allowed for you to accept the stolen item.”
Muḥarram li-Kasbihī – It is unlawful for the one who earned it.
This is forbidden because of the way the wealth was earned. Shaykh Al-‘Uthaymīn (رحمه الله) mentioned,
فكل شيء محرم لكسبه يكون حراماً على الكاسب فقط،
“This is forbidden for the one who earned this wealth.”
وأما من أخذه من هذا الكاسب بطريق حلال فإنه ليس حراماً عليه
As for the one who accepts this wealth from the one who earned it, in a lawful way, then it is not forbidden for the one who is receiving it.”
That is the answer to the question.
This is similar to the question about someone whose father works in an unlawful job and whether it is permissible to accept a gift from this father. Alḥamdu lillah these principles are the guidelines for such questions. The second category is forbidden because of the way that it was earned.
Regarding somebody who bakes birthday cakes and gives charity from the money they earned, the principle is that the wealth is forbidden for the one who earned it. As for the one who accepts a gift or charity from them in a lawful way, then that is not forbidden for the reciever. However some of the people of knowledge say that the best option is to abstain from accepting such a gift. That is better. Wa Allāhu aʿlam