Performing ʿumrah with funds received from non-muslim donors

Performing ʿumrah with funds received from non-muslim donors

By: Dr Mohammad Akram Nadwi
Oxford

Question:
Assalamu alaykum Mawlana,
I hope you’re doing well insha’Allah. Some students at the local university are asking whether it would be permissible to go to Umrah using funds that may come from non-Muslim donors through the university. They wanted to seek guidance on this, what would be the opinion on such a case? Thank you, jzk.

Answer:
Wa alaykum as-salām wa raḥmatullāh,
May Allah bless you for your care in seeking guidance and for relaying such questions with sincerity.

In principle, wealth that is lawfully acquired (ḥalāl) is permissible to use, regardless of whether it originates from a Muslim or a non-Muslim source. The criterion in Islamic law is not the religion of the donor, but the ḥalāl or ḥarām nature of the wealth itself.

If non-Muslim individuals, organisations, or institutions, such as a university, grant funds as a gift, bursary, scholarship, or stipend, and these funds are not connected to illegal activities, then the money is considered ṭayyib (pure and permissible). A Muslim may thus accept and utilise such funds in any lawful manner.

This includes using the money for acts of worship, such as ʿUmrah or Ḥajj, as well as for general personal or communal benefit. There is no objection in the Sharīʿah to performing an act of ʿibādah with wealth obtained through lawful means from a non-Muslim. The Prophet ﷺ himself received gifts from non-Muslims, accepted them, and used them without restriction, so long as the wealth was lawful.

Therefore, if the university funds in question are granted through legitimate channels and are not tied to any conditions contrary to the law of the country, it would be permissible for the students to use that money for ʿUmrah, or any other permissible purpose, without hesitation.

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