A clarification of whether you may attend Eid prayer with the masjid that has announced earlier while joining family for the celebration the next day.
Daily Life & Etiquette
Receiving Child Benefits
Answered April 14, 2026
The Question
In Canada and other countries, mothers receive child benefits from the government. Who is the legal owner of this money from an Islamic perspective? Is it necessary to use that money on the child or can it be used on any expenses?
The Answer
بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ
الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما
الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما
In reference to your question, child benefits are given from the government to the primary caretaker of the child (usually the mother) to help in their expenditure. The legal owner of the money would be the caretaker to whom the money is deposited. It is not necessary for the benefit money to specifically be used on the child provided the needs of the child are being taken care of through other means.
Approved by Mufti Husain Ahmad Madani
References
- Ibn ʿĀbidīn, Radd al-Muḥtār ʿalā al-Durr al-Mukhtār, 2:393–395.
- Al-Marghīnānī, al-Hidāyah,
- Al-Nawawī, al-Majmūʿ Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab, 6:273.
- Mufti Taqi Usmani, Fatāwā ʿUthmānī, vol. 1
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