Can parents use money/gifts gifted to the child
| Fatwa #2222 | Category: Miscellaneous | Country: Zambia | Date: 23rd March 2026 |
| Fatwa #2222 | Date: 23rd March 2026 |
| Category: Miscellaneous | |
| Country: Zambia | |
Question
Assalamualaikum ww
Wanted to ask what is the ruling about money and clothes that are given as a gift to a baby? Can parents use it?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In principle, what is gifted to the child belongs to the child. What is gifted to the parent to use for/on the child, belongs to the parent.
What belongs to the child can either be kept aside for the future or be spent on the needs and expenses of the child. This will include food, clothing, diapers, fees, toys etc. As for clothing or similar items given to the child, it will be used for the child or must be bought off the child if it will be used by someone other than the child.
The principle guiding these rules is that the wealth of a child is to be treated as a trust and must not be squandered. It must be utilised properly. Spending it for the child’s needs is spending it properly.
With regards to money, practically speaking, today’s parents will more or less always end up spending much more of their own funds on their children as opposed to the children’s private funds. Therefore, if a parent mixes the child’s money with his/her own, then uses those funds as and when needed, be it for the child or for the family, it is more or less guaranteed that one will have eventually used the child’s funds directly on the child.
It is difficult to keep aside separate funds for each child and then carry different envelopes of each child each time a parent goes grocery shopping.
Therefore, there is no real reason to be extremely strict on the subject unless the child has a substantial fortune which requires proper oversight.
You may refer to our detailed fatwa below. However, as stated above, practicality can outweigh principal laws especially if the end goal/objective is adequately achieved.
https://daruliftaazambia.com/fatwa/?id=379
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Mufti Bilal Pandor
Concurred by
Mufti Muhammad Patel
Darul Iftaa Mahmudiyyah
Lusaka, Zambia