For over 15 years, I have had the privilege of working in the Muslim charity sector, and over the last five years have specialised in aid reaching Gaza.
By the permission of Allah, this work has continued throughout the recent genocidal onslaught. But today, I write with deep concern over a growing and deeply troubling trend that threatens the very integrity of our charitable efforts.
A slow, unintentional cultural shift is unfolding — one that potentially prioritises transactional benefits over genuine charitable merit.
For smaller charities, much of the fundraising relies on the generosity of the community, particularly through Ramadan collections at mosques. Traditionally, securing a collection night meant demonstrating the credibility and effectiveness of the charities’ work.
This year, however, the response from some mosques has been more transactional than ever before.
A change in priorities
Historically, many mosques have been eager to support charities based on their track record and the urgency of their cause.
This year, it upsets me to say that after everything that Gaza has been through, the response has been the slowest since my time working with charities operating in Gaza.
Charities have been met with responses that are, frankly, alarming.
Here is a paraphrased summary of some of the replies that charities have received from mosques that have always offered collection opportunities in the month of Ramadan:
We need to prioritise charities who are able to provide a reciter or speaker. If anything is left after that, we will let you know.”
Please fill in our form, and one of our team will contact you to discuss the packages we have on offer.”
Who do you have with your charity?” (Referring to a reciter or high-profile speaker)
We will have to prioritise based on charities that are more in need.”
Do you have an annual plan with the masjid?”
Let me be clear: charities do not expect special treatment.
We understand that mosques have financial responsibilities and need to manage their resources wisely. If they have costs that need to be covered, charities are prepared to allocate a budget.
But what we are seeing now is something entirely different.
For some mosques, the merits of a cause are increasingly overshadowed by the benefits the charity can provide to the mosque in return for a collection opportunity. This is increasingly based on a famous reciter or high-profile speaker.
The charitable arms race
It seems that over time, some charities began offering financial contributions or high-profile reciters to secure fundraising slots.
What may have started as a rare exception has now — for some — become an expectation.
The result? A charitable arms race where organisations feel pressured to provide incentives just to gain access to the community.
Smaller or less resourceful charities (even those doing great work) struggle to gain visibility if they cannot provide financial or promotional benefits in return!
What is the impact of this?
This shift has led to an unfortunate reality where charities have to compete based on what they can offer, rather than the merit of their work. It risks shifting the focus away from their core mission.
Instead of prioritising the actual cause, they may start prioritising relationships with mosques, fundraising strategies, or securing high-profile speakers or Qurrāʾ just to stay relevant.
Yes, relationship management and fundraising strategies are, of course, part of any charity’s plans, but the cause must come first.
Charities are frequently approached by management and promotion companies offering Ramadan tours with reciters and speakers ranging from £300 to £5,000 per night, with prices soaring even higher for the last ten nights.
What started as a means of enhancing the Ramadan experience is now commodified, further widening the gap between well-funded charities and those struggling to be heard.
There are many other points which relate to this and the future of our da’wah and charitable efforts, much of which requires scholarly input.
A distorted sense of responsibility?
Mosques have many responsibilities to their congregations, and providing the best experience in Ramadan is one of those.
This includes the tarāwīh experience, which is sometimes founded upon the reciters they have.
However, another responsibility is to expose their congregations to the best possible causes which are available in terms of sadaqah, and especially zakat.
If they decide who can collect zakat in the masjid based on which charity has a world-renowned reciter to offer, are they fulfilling that responsibility properly?
When charitable work becomes transactional, it risks losing its sincerity. If a mosque’s priority in selecting a charity is “What can you offer?” rather than “Who will make the most impact?”, we have lost something essential in our mission to serve those in need.
Finding a way forward
This is not an attack on mosques or charities, but rather a call for reflection and a collective return to principles that should guide our charitable efforts.
So what can we do?
Refocus on merit
Charities should be evaluated based on the impact of their work, not what they can provide in return.
Raise awareness
We must educate mosques and charities on the dangers of a transactional approach to charity.
Charities must take a stand
If organisations collectively refuse to engage in this incentive-driven culture, we can begin to reverse the trend.
Hope still remains
I do not wish to paint an entirely bleak picture; there are, no doubt, many charities and mosques that are as shocked as I have been at this trend.
We have many amazing mosques and charities in our community that put the beneficiaries first, and carry out their work with ihsān.
What I have mentioned are the early stages of a potentially bleak future that we can all collectively protect our community and our work against.
For all Muslim charities and masājid, their ultimate success lies with Allah ﷻ, and He will grant them success in their mission based on intentions, the cause they represent, and tawakkul in Him.
May Allah guide us to act with sincerity, and may He always use us for the benefit of the Ummah in the best possible way. Āmīn.
Source: Islam21c
Can someone name good non-transactional altruistic charities please.
I think HHUGS CAGE IPCI IDCI ONEUMMAH IERA are good.
MPAC I21C are too.
A mosque’s responsibility is to the local community: historically mosques have collected zakat and sadaqah and distributed it locally to those in need. In fact the Bayt al-mal in the earliest time was the mosque.
Modern charities have predominately promoted a international agenda and seriously neglected local communities and long term priorities. Charities have created this situation by following non-Muslim practises which focus on numerical ‘impact’ instead of pleasing God. Spending money to raise more money! Madness. It’s a lot sexier to say I built a water well in a foreign land then to say I paid for the groceries of the single mother next-door.
Mosques need to take control of collection and distribution of zakat and sadaqah on a local level and minimise what is now an endless list of charities all doing practically the same thing. Mosques are best placed to know the needs of the local community and best placed to serve those need. Sadaqah and zakat at a local level build love for each other in the community: it’s heart warming to know that the brother or sister I’m standing next to in salah might have been the one who fed my children. Or it could be even though I’ve never attend the mosque my brothers and sisters care about me. Even though I’m not a Muslim they care about my pain and suffering. Can you imagine the impact that has? It helps people feel part of the community and this brings endless benefits.
The purpose of our giving is to please God, not make an ‘impact’, and God is most pleased with charity that is to those closest to you in relationship and proximity.
I just wanted to reply to this as it is incredibly profound, subhānAllah!
I was thinking the same recently although from a different perspective, as fundraising for a mosque for eg doesn’t seem to be enough now. Now the mosques have to promise your name on a door, wall or tile so that people give money which doesn’t feel right to me. Shouldn’t we give to the mosque simply for the sake of giving, is our intention correct when we donate just to get our name on something? Maybe it started with wells as for years they’ve been offering to put your family name on the well, now it’s happening with different projects. We’re not supposed to be purchasing items, this isn’t a shopping opportunity but a chance to give charitable donations so I don’t think we should get anything in return
As a fellow consultant in the sector, I find a number of issues with the articles above and the subject matter is more nuanced than what has been presented. Suggesting that masajid should select charities based on their ‘impact’ where quality impact reporting is at best poor and in most cases non-existent in the sector. Secondly, how would you suggest masajid choose between charities which, on the surface, are doing the same work, in the same places and in most cases by the same people? Lastly, it was charities that introduced this to masajid to entice them, thus now masajid are asking because that is what they were offered, reprimanding them for asking for what they have been offered over the past decade is representative of the state of our charities that copy and paste from each other. Masajid, like any other organisations, are looking out for what is good for their congregation, and i disagree, providing direction on where their Zakat is spent is not one of them. They are unaware of the priorities and gaps in the humanitarian sector and cannot be expected to do an impact analysis when approached. If we want to change the transactional nature of charity in our communities then its our fundraising teams that need to stop following western models of raising funds and be brave enough to develop and return to solutions that are more in line with our faith and history.
I would love a charity begins at home ethos. There are many people who struggle with daily bills but they are deemed not worthy. They may have a well known family name, they may be single parents, their may even be disabled. Lots of these local people in need are women. Lots have no where and no one to turn to. Their extended families believe that the welfare system is providing for them. But welfare is an existence. It’s not living.
If charity began at home….
We have masajid and Islamic organisation that justify gatekeeping sadaqah and zakah. They won’t let you collect unless you pay them a cut. All of this is justified by using the excuse we have bill, salaries and building costs to pay.