Question
Feasting-fund-raising functions are becoming the norm. In order to raise funds for Musjid, Madrasah and other charitable projects, the organizers arrange feasts of different kinds. Men and women freely participate. The women come adorned in their finery and perfumed. They are fed some plates of foods in western style, then an appeal is made for funds. Sometimes they pay exorbitant prices for the platter of food. The money so raised goes to charity. Photography and videotaping are considered necessary. Some of these functions are restricted to only ladies. Is this type of fund-raising permissible?
Answer
A Muslim does not require knowledge to understand the evil and prohibition of the fund-raising methods described in the question. The intermingling of sexes, females attending adorned and perfumed, haraam video footages, and in general the method and ethos of kuffaar merrymaking functions are the reasons for such functions being haraam. Almost every prohibition in the Shariah's Hijaab Code is violated. The lewdness of the affair is conspicuous. Sadqah is an act of pure ibaadat in which Ikhfa (Concealment) is emphasized. The 'left hand should not know what the right hand gives' according to the Hadith. The riya in the merrymaking deceptive 'charity' function is quite obvious.
The lack of Ikhlaas is also apparent. When 'charity' is given in lieu of food and after gratifying the nafs with merrymaking in a haraam manner, the money given as 'charity' in handouts of ostentation can never be described as Sadqah. It is not permissible to use such funds acquired in haraam ways for Islamic charitable projects.
The same arguments as above apply to the 'ladies charity function'. All these ladies are like zaaniyas. Rasulullah (sallallahu alayhi wasallam) said that they "are like this and like that". All of these lewd women attend such haraam functions fully adorned and perfumed, hence they are zaaniyahs. The money acquired at such haraam functions is likewise haraam.
- Source
- themajlis.co.za
- Published in
- The Majlis Vol 22 No 05
- PDF page
- 4
Appears under Questions and Answers (approximate).