Fatwa #22129 February 2001Pakistan
Please can you tell me what the arabic word Lillah means? 2: Is it permissible to give Lillah to non-muslims in leu of gaining a reward?
Answer
1. Lillah literally means 'for the sake of Allah.'
2. There is one of two possibilities: a) It is your own wealth, or b) You
are distributing it on behalf of someone.
a) If it is your own wealth, you may spend it on needy non-Muslims with the
intention of gaining reward from Allah Ta'ala. This too will be considered
as Lillah. Fulfilling the needs of fellow humans is a highly meritorious
act.
b) If it is someone else's wealth, inquire from this person what his/her
intention was. If it was his intention that it should be specifically for
Muslims, then you may not spend it on non-Muslims. If it was his/her
intention that it may also be spent on non-Muslims, you may then spend it on
non-Muslims.
If the actual donor's intention are unclear, the safest procedure would be
to spend it only on Muslims.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.
2. There is one of two possibilities: a) It is your own wealth, or b) You
are distributing it on behalf of someone.
a) If it is your own wealth, you may spend it on needy non-Muslims with the
intention of gaining reward from Allah Ta'ala. This too will be considered
as Lillah. Fulfilling the needs of fellow humans is a highly meritorious
act.
b) If it is someone else's wealth, inquire from this person what his/her
intention was. If it was his intention that it should be specifically for
Muslims, then you may not spend it on non-Muslims. If it was his/her
intention that it may also be spent on non-Muslims, you may then spend it on
non-Muslims.
If the actual donor's intention are unclear, the safest procedure would be
to spend it only on Muslims.
and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
FATWA DEPT.