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Fatwa CenterAvailing oneself of charity: Islamic perspective
Question
I read in Saheeh Al-Bukhaari that the Messenger of Allaah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, forbade a young boy from eating dates that were given for charity, saying to him: "Don't you know that we (i.e. Muhammad's household) do not eat what is given in charity?" What are the kinds of charity from which we are forbidden to eat? If I sacrificed an animal for the sake of Allaah Almighty, can I eat from its meat?
Answer
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and messenger.
Abu Hurayrah 
narrated that Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali 
took a date from the dates that were given in charity and put it in his mouth. The Prophet, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, looked at him, took it out from his mouth and said: “Expel it from your mouth. Don't you know that we do not eat what is given in charity?” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim]
This Hadeeth explicitly underlines that availing oneself of what was given in charity is impermissible exclusively for the family of the Prophet Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and not for all Muslims.
If a Muslim offers charity for the sake of Allaah, the Exalted, is it permissible for him to avail himself from it? There are many details with regards to this issue that can be briefed in the following lines. If one offers something in charity to a particular person or a specific category of recipients, it is impermissible for him to eat from or avail himself of it. However, if it was normal where he lives to offer charity without identifying the category of the recipients and to eat from one's donation, then it is permissible for him to eat from what he had given in charity only as much as what is normal.
The Maaliki scholar, Al-Mawwaaq 
said in his commentaries on Al-Mudawanah: “Whoever offers something in charity to another person, then it is impermissible for him to eat from it (if it was food), ride on it (if it was an animal) or avail himself of it or of its value.”
Allaah Knows best.
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