What is the ruling on investing the zakah money of the poor and giving them from the investment profits without taking their permission?
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Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. In his second question, he says: If I paid my zakah and set it aside, then invested it for a group of poor people and gave them from the profits of that investment, is that permissible? I have not informed them of this and have not taken their permission, because if I gave it to them directly, they might spend it all at once and not benefit from it. The question is: What is the ruling on my action in this case?
Answer:
Your action is not permissible. It is not permissible to withhold the zakah; rather, you must pay it out at its due time. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: “And give the zakah.” That is, pay it to those who are entitled to it. It is obligatory to pay it out and give it to the eligible recipients, and they will dispose of it according to their own interests. As for you withholding it and saying, “I will invest it and give them from its yield, and they do not know how to manage it,” you are not their agent. They are not minors or incompetent persons. Allah has commanded you to give it to them, and He did not say, “Test them” or “See what they do with it.” As long as they are eligible, give it to them.
As for withholding it, that is not permissible. Paying the zakah immediately, without delay, is the correct course; delaying it is a mistake. Suppose you encounter an obstacle, or you die, or you forget.
Or the funds you set aside for zakah are lost, and you have not given them to their rightful owners. In that case, the liability remains on you, and you are responsible for them. It is obligatory to hasten to pay the zakah to those entitled to it at the time the zakah becomes obligatory. That is what is obligatory. Yes.
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. In his second question, he says: If I paid my zakah and set it aside, then invested it for a group of poor people and gave them from the profits of that investment, is that permissible? I have not informed them of this and have not taken their permission, because if I gave it to them directly, they might spend it all at once and not benefit from it. The question is: What is the ruling on my action in this case?
Answer:
Your action is not permissible. It is not permissible to withhold the zakah; rather, you must pay it out at its due time. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says: “And give the zakah.” That is, pay it to those who are entitled to it. It is obligatory to pay it out and give it to the eligible recipients, and they will dispose of it according to their own interests. As for you withholding it and saying, “I will invest it and give them from its yield, and they do not know how to manage it,” you are not their agent. They are not minors or incompetent persons. Allah has commanded you to give it to them, and He did not say, “Test them” or “See what they do with it.” As long as they are eligible, give it to them.
As for withholding it, that is not permissible. Paying the zakah immediately, without delay, is the correct course; delaying it is a mistake. Suppose you encounter an obstacle, or you die, or you forget.
Or the funds you set aside for zakah are lost, and you have not given them to their rightful owners. In that case, the liability remains on you, and you are responsible for them. It is obligatory to hasten to pay the zakah to those entitled to it at the time the zakah becomes obligatory. That is what is obligatory. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما حكم استثمار مال الزكاة للفقراء وإعطاؤهم من أرباح الاستثمار دون أخذ إذنهم؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.