Donating to non-Muslim children in need

A reader's objection to an earlier fatwa in which Ibn Baz had permitted donations to the children of the world whatever their nationality or religion, in which Ibn Baz answered that what was meant is the weak among the children of people under safe conduct, treaty or truce, not the children of combatants, and that kindness to them is unobjectionable when a trustworthy party handles the aid, though the weak among Muslims have the greater claim. ¹

The questioner said he had read in the magazine al-Da'wa a fatwa by Ibn Baz permitting donations to the children of the world whatever their nationality or religion, provided their state is not hostile, and argued that such donations in general harm Islam, because there is no way to guarantee that the money is spent on the children, and because even if it is, it spares those expenses to non-Muslim states; he claimed that every non-Muslim state is hostile to Muslim states and manufactures weapons and means of corruption. ¹

Ibn Baz answered that what was meant is the weak who are shown kindness, such as children gathered up from the aftermath of wars and the like, to whom people do good when a trustworthy person handles the distribution of the aid, in order to rescue children who bear no guilt and who are not the children of those at war with Muslims but of people under safe conduct, treaty, truce or the like. ¹ He argued that the Prophet permitted giving to non-Muslims who were not combatants and allowed Asma to give to her non-Muslim mother from her wealth, and cited God's words in al-Mumtahana 8 that God does not forbid kindness and fairness towards those who have not fought the Muslims over religion nor driven them from their homes. ¹ He said that the weak among children, women and others, even if they are polytheists, when they are under safe conduct or treaty or are weak refugees in some country, may be shown kindness without objection, but that the weak among Muslims have the greater claim; if there is enough for both groups, there is no harm. ¹

This answer was published on binbaz.org.sa, the official site of Ibn Baz's legacy, as no. 4100 under the heading of voluntary charity, with no date on the page; it replies to an objection to an earlier fatwa published in the magazine al-Da'wa. ¹ The museum records this text as a historical document attributed to the body or scholar that issued it; it issues no ruling of its own.