Mustaḥabb Alms: Permissibility of Allocating a Portion of Charitable Donations as Bonuses or Collection Fees

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Mustaḥabb Alms: Permissibility of Allocating a Portion of Charitable Donations as Bonuses or Collection Fees

English:

Question #1804:

The Imam Khomeini Aid Committee has put many containers and boxes in houses, streets, and public places at different cities and villages to collect mustaḥabb alms and hand it over to the poor. Is it permissible to pay the personnel working for this committee a certain percentage of these boxes’ money as a bonus in addition to their monthly salary and allowances? Also, is it allowed to give some of this money to those who play a role in collecting it, although they are not regular employees of the charity?

Answer #1804:

Paying an amount of money collected through charity boxes to the personnel and employees of the committee as a bonus in addition to their salaries paid by the committee is problematic. Rather, so far as the consent of the owners of the money regarding this is not confirmed, it is impermissible. But there is no problem in paying those who help in collecting the boxes’ contents as their standard wages provided that their help is needed for collecting the money and giving it to needy persons and it is apparent that the money owners agree upon this. Otherwise, it is problematic to use the collected money but for the poor people.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Mustaḥabb Alms