The Ruling on an Endowment if its Benefits Cease

Question :

My father was entrusted with the endowment of a sum invested in a hand mill and when the hand mill was no longer used, it was invested in a grinder, which also subsequently ceased to operate. There remained the sum of four hundred Riyals from the cost of the parts after repair of the hand mill, its housing and the grinder. Then my father died, so what should I do with the remaining money?

Answer:

The remainder from (the sale of) its parts should be used for some public utility which is needed by the people which no one is providing. Or, it should be spend on something such as a water dispenser at the door of a mosque, in a public thoroughfare, or a share in the building of an artesian well, or its repair so that the people may benefit from its water, or the repair of a mosque, or the purchase of carpets for it, if there is no one to undertake this task, or there is, but it is not possible for him to collect the necessary funds. If it is not easy for him to properly dispose of the remainder in one of these ways, or he does not find the revenue sufficient for any public utility which no one has provided, he may give it in charity to the poor. But in this case he must raise the matter of the distribution with His Excellency, the Judge of the town to appoint a trustworthy overseer, who knows about matters regarding distribution, so he may be responsible for its protection and distribution. And Allah is the Granter of success. And may peace and blessings be upon our Prophet, Muhammad and upon his family and Companions.

Source:
The Permanent Committee
Fatawa Islamiyah, Vol. 5 Pages 47-48