Giving Zakat to Charitable Organizations
Some people broaden the scope of the word fi-sabilillah, which appears in the Qur’an al-karim, and include all da’wah organizations, from institutions to parties, in the meaning of it, and claim that zakat can be given to them.
اِنَّمَا الصَّدَقٰتُ لِلۡفُقَرَآءِ وَالۡمَسٰكِيۡنِ وَالۡعٰمِلِيۡنَ عَلَيۡهَا وَالۡمُؤَلَّـفَةِ قُلُوۡبُهُمۡ وَفِى الرِّقَابِ وَالۡغٰرِمِيۡنَ وَفِىۡ سَبِيۡلِ اللّٰهِ وَابۡنِ السَّبِيۡلِؕ فَرِيۡضَةً مِّنَ اللّٰهِؕ وَاللّٰهُ عَلِيۡمٌ حَكِيۡمٌ
The zakaat are meant only for the poor and the needy and those who are in charge thereof, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free those in bondage, and to help those burdened with debt, and for expenditure in the Way of Allah and for the wayfarer. This is an obligation from Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise
Fi-sabilillah (that is, those who are in the way of Allah) is one of the eight categories of people mentioned in the Qur’an al-karim to be entitled to receive zakat. This category of people includes the following:
What is meant by fi-sabilillah is poor soldiers. (Nur-ul-izah)
What is meant by fi-sabilillah is the needy who are in the way of jihad or hajj. (Radd-ul-mukhtar)
According to Imam-i Abu Yusuf, fi-sabilillah is the poor who cannot go to war. According to Imam-i Muhammad, fi-sabilillah is the poor on the way of hajj. (Durar)
Fi-sabilillah is those people who have set out on hajj but run out of their nafaqah. (Tahtawi)
According to three madhhabs, fi-sabilillah is veterans and soldiers. According to the Hanbali Madhhab, those who are on the way of hajj are included in the meaning of it as well. (Mizan)
The four madhhabs are unanimously state that fi-sabilillah is veterans. (Al-Fiqh ‘Ala al-Madhahib al-Arba’ah)
Hadrat Zahid-ul Kawsari state in his book Makalat, “No, it is not permissible to give zakat to charitable organizations. None of the mujtahid scholars said that it was permissible to give zakat to charitable organizations, and there is ijma on this. What later scholars say does not cancel ijma.”
It is written in Durr-ul-Mukhtar, “Those who teach and learn Islamic knowledge, that is, those whose job is to learn and teach Islamic knowledge can receive zakat, even if they are rich, because they do not have time to work and earn money.
”Hadrat Ibn Abidin explain these statements: It is stated in a hadith-i sharif, “It is permissible to give zakat to a person who learns ilm, even if he has fourty years’ nafaqah.”
In spite of these facts, many organizations open accounts at banks by the name of zakat fund, or they collect money in return for a receipt. In light of the foregoing, money given in this manner is not counted as zakat.
Hadrat Ibn Abidin say that the word fi-sabilillah is explained as all deeds for Allah in the book Badayi and quote from the book Nahr, “Scholars are unanimous in that, except zakat collectors, zakat can be given to any category of zakat recipients, on condition that they are poor. Besides, he quotes from Zaylai, “Zakat is not for purposes, such as to meet expenses of construction of mosques, bridges, and roads or to meet expenses of hajj or umrah, which is not considered tamlik.” [Tamlik is to give zakat to a poor person’s hand.]
Part 2 Will follow, May Allah grant us taufeeq and courage to practice.
Issued by: Jamiatul Ulama Western Cape
