What is the ruling on retracting the intention to give money to a needy person due to the donor's urgent need for the money, knowing that the intention was not disclosed to the needy person?
There is no harm in retracting a charity before the poor person takes possession of it, either personally or through an agent, because it still belongs to the one who gave the charity. However, it is not permissible to retract it after the poor person takes possession of it, due to the prohibition against one who takes back his charity, and the consensus of the scholars on this matter.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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