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Fatwa CenterIntention to give charity does not render the charity an obligation
Question
i did neyath that i will donate my 2 gold bangles to poor girl 3 yrs back..my question is can i donate cash instead of gold bangles and what amount i have to pay..the actual amount which i payed wen i bought the bangles or the present value of gold?
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 
is His slave and Messenger.
Having mere intention to give those bangles in charity to that girl does not make it an obligation on you to do so. Those bangles still belong to you and they do not become the property of that girl until she has actually taken them into her possession. Therefore, it is permissible for you to give her money instead of the bangles, whether it is less or more than their price because the charity has not become an obligation on you, so you have the choice.
Ibn Qudaamah 
said: “It is unanimously agreed upon that if a person intends to give a given amount in charity, and he started by giving some of it, he is not obliged to give the rest of the amount in charity.” [Al-Mughni]
Moreover, Kashshaaf Al-Qinaa’ (a Hanbali book) reads: “If a person designates something to give out in charity or he entrusts a person to give out that charity on his behalf and then he changed his mind, then it is desirable for him to give out that charity but it is not an obligation on him to do so, because the item given in charity does not become owned by the person to whom it is to be given until he has actually taken it into his possession.”
Allaah Knows best.
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