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Is it permissible for a well-off person to benefit from non-monetary charities, such as drinking from water coolers designated as charity, or eating dates given as charity at iftars in the Grand Mosque of Mecca?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The sadaqa that is not permissible for the rich is zakat. As for voluntary sadaqa (sadaqat al-tatawwu') it is permissible for both the rich and the poor, as it is considered like a gift. However, it is preferable for the rich to refrain from it and practice self-restraint. There is no harm for a rich person to drink from water coolers or eat from iftar dates if it is a general sadaqa. But if it is specifically designated for the poor and he is aware of that, then he should not approach it.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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