Question: A friend of mine, who belongs to another faith, spoke to me with a sense of hurt. He said, "I offered a donation for mosque construction work and for the Ramadan porridge (kanji). However, they refused to accept it because I am a Hindu. Is this right?"
S.A. Irfan Basha, Dharmapuri
Answer: The Kaaba is the most excellent of all mosques. This structure, which had fallen into disrepair, was renovated and rebuilt when Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) was a young boy. Those who carried out the renovation were polytheists (people who believed in multiple gods), and the work was funded entirely by their wealth. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself carried soil for the construction during his youth.
When the Prophet (PBUH) established his rule and gained control of the Kaaba, he did not demolish and rebuild it simply because it had been constructed using the wealth of non-Muslims. Had he wished to demolish and rebuild it, it would have been quite easy for him to do so.
He prayed in that very mosque built by non-Muslims, and it was there that he performed the Hajj pilgrimage.
He did contemplate demolishing and rebuilding the Kaaba; however, the reason cited for this was that it had not been built in the original design established by Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), not that it had been constructed using the wealth of non-Muslims.
– The Kaaba built by Prophet Ibrahim had two entrances. Those who rebuilt the Kaaba during Prophet Muhammad's (PBUH) childhood completed the structure with only one entrance.
– – The Kaaba built by Prophet Ibrahim was straight on three sides and semi-circular on one side. – Since the world's most excellent mosque was built with financial assistance from non-Muslims—and Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) himself offered prayers there—there is nothing wrong with other mosques accepting donations from people of other faiths.
The only reason to decline such a donation would be if the donor were to insist on practices within the mosque that are not permitted by Islam.
Ramadan porridge (Nonbu Kanji) is simply a form of food; it is not considered sacred in itself. Just as one may consume food provided by others, one may also consume this porridge if they prepare it; there is no prohibition against doing so. However, the question of whether the person providing such help will receive a reward in the Hereafter is a separate matter.
Unless one believes that there is no god other than the One God of the entire universe, any good deed performed—regardless of the act—will yield rewards only in this world; one cannot attain Paradise in the Hereafter. Without believing in the One God, one cannot receive anything from that God.