Zakaat To Organisations – Be Careful!

Question: Kindly share some light regarding sending one’s Zakaat money to common organizations that are known to collect Zakaat. I have read articles circulating on WhatsApp that certain organizations don’t discharge Zakaat correctly. To the extent, one Mufti Sahib wrote in his article that those who paid Zakaat to one such organization, should repay his/her Zakaat as Zakaat hasn’t been discharged. Please comment.

Answer: Zakaat is an obligatory charity – Fardh. Allah Ta’ala has decided the Laws of Zakaat, upon whom Zakaat becomes Fardh, as well as who the recipients of Zakaat are. The Kitaabs of Fiqh detail this adequately.

We do encourage Muslims upon whom Zakaat is obligatory, to read the basic Masaa’il of Zakaat discussed in common Kitaabs such as Bashti-Zewar of Moulana Ashraf Ali Thanwi (Rahmatullahi alaih) and other such reliable and basic Kitaabs.

Upon studying the basic laws of Zakaat, try to discharge your Zakaat yourself after investigating as to which poor Muslims in your area are eligible to receive Zakaat in the light of the Masaa’il of Zakaat studied in the basic Kitaab. One can approach a reliable Aalim-e-Haq to explain any questions and doubts one may have after studying this topic from the Kitaab. This is the best and safest option in the sense that one knowns for sure that one’s Zakaat has reached its qualifying recipient immediately and the Law of Allah Ta’ala has been fulfilled.

If one cannot find time to do the above, then we recommend one sends one’s Zakaat money to reliable organisations who don’t pocket such money, neither upgrade their vehicles, homes, businesses, etc. with such money, nor do they renovate their offices or install air-conditioning systems in their offices, or tile and revamp their places with Zakaat money. There are many reliable Ulama-e-Haq who collect Zakaat money and distribute it to qualifying poor Muslims who are in need of such.

Yes, abstain from sending any Zakaat and other money (like Fitrah, Lillah, etc.) to those (scholars and their organisations) who destroyed our Masaajid, who closed them and enforced atheist-made protocols in them, those who appear on TV, those who encourage girls to go to the brothels dubbed as universities, those who legalize photography, etc. We fear that a misuse of Zakaat funds is possible due to the fact that they – such organisations, scholars, radio stations – have discarded clear-cut Laws of Allah Ta’ala, of the Deen and the Sunnah and preferred atheist-made laws over Allah’s Laws. How can we trust them to obey Allah’s Laws in discharging Zakaat when they publicly displayed their obedience to the government and atheist-made protocols they enforced and adhered to? Once clear public Taubah is made for the above crimes committed by such organisations and scholars, we will issue further comments, Insha Allah.