Giving Zakah to the Shaykh of the Tribe
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Fatwa No. ( 16186 )
Q: When the time for zakah arrives, whether for sheep or for what is brought out of the earth, the Shaykh of the tribe informs everyone that the zakah on sheep this year, for example, is 250 riyals. We then sell one of the sheep and give him the specified amount, and we give the remainder in charity. He gives us receipts for it, stating that it is from
the affairs of zakah. As for what is brought out of the earth, we pay the zakah to this Shaykh as an expense for him. Is this practice correct? Please inform us, and what is our obligation if the zakah is not valid?
A : It is obligatory to pay the zakah to those who are entitled to it, or to the government official appointed by the government. If the Shaykh of the tribe is appointed by the government, it is obligatory to pay the zakah to him; otherwise, it is paid to the official sent by the government. If there are no government officials to collect the zakah, it is obligatory for the owner to pay it to the poor and the needy who are entitled to it. The value of the sheep paid in zakah varies with the rise and fall of prices each year, so it is obligatory to take this into account and to clear one’s conscience of this obligatory right, which is a companion to prayer, and not to be negligent in it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: When the time for zakah arrives, whether for sheep or for what is brought out of the earth, the Shaykh of the tribe informs everyone that the zakah on sheep this year, for example, is 250 riyals. We then sell one of the sheep and give him the specified amount, and we give the remainder in charity. He gives us receipts for it, stating that it is from
the affairs of zakah. As for what is brought out of the earth, we pay the zakah to this Shaykh as an expense for him. Is this practice correct? Please inform us, and what is our obligation if the zakah is not valid?
A : It is obligatory to pay the zakah to those who are entitled to it, or to the government official appointed by the government. If the Shaykh of the tribe is appointed by the government, it is obligatory to pay the zakah to him; otherwise, it is paid to the official sent by the government. If there are no government officials to collect the zakah, it is obligatory for the owner to pay it to the poor and the needy who are entitled to it. The value of the sheep paid in zakah varies with the rise and fall of prices each year, so it is obligatory to take this into account and to clear one’s conscience of this obligatory right, which is a companion to prayer, and not to be negligent in it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.