Is charity, to which a woman is coerced or embarrassed into, such as buying a dessert plate for an obligatory sum, considered a rewarded act of charity? And does the saying "what is taken with the sword of shyness is unlawful" apply to it?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
The property of a Muslim person is not permissible to take except with their willing consent. If property is taken out of shyness or embarrassment, without the owner's consent, it is not permissible for the taker. Jurists have explained this by stating that it involves coercion through the "sword of shyness," which is akin to coercion by a physical sword. Based on this, whoever receives something as a gift due to shyness must return it, because intentions are considered in contracts, and means have the same rulings as their ends. A wife must not give charity from her husband's money except with his permission.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/106397
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 106397
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- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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- Read the full answer on Ftawy