Spending Zakah on Establishing a Charitable Center
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Fatwa No. ( 21092 )
Q: By the grace and bounty of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), a plot of land has been allocated to establish a center for memorizing the Noble Qur'an and teaching its sciences, exclusively for Muslim women and girls, following the methodology of the Salaf of this Ummah (may Allah be pleased with them). Approval for this has been granted by the competent authorities in Bahrain, represented by the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs. Upon completion, some Muslim sisters who hold ijazahs in the narration of Hafs from 'Asim (may Allah have mercy on them both) will undertake the teaching at the center, if Allah wills. They possess, praise and thanks be to Allah, a Salafi creed based on the two great foundations: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the understanding of the righteous Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them). The need for establishing this Islamic institution was urgent, given the important role the Muslim woman plays when she is able to recite the Noble Qur'an in accordance with the Shari'ah and scholarly guidelines, and also to understand and reflect upon it. Furthermore, since the cost of establishing this center exceeds the capacity of those who wish to build and construct it, we have decided to write to your Eminence with the following question: Is it permissible in the Shari'ah to contribute to the establishment of this center from zakah funds and voluntary charity, or not? And to write to people of goodness, righteousness, and benevolence to encourage their contribution to this cause.
A: It is not permissible to spend zakah on establishing the aforementioned center or any other projects; because the categories of zakah are specified in the noble verse, namely the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Tawbah 9:60] ... the verse. The aforementioned project can be funded through the donations of people of good. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: By the grace and bounty of Allah (Blessed and Exalted is He), a plot of land has been allocated to establish a center for memorizing the Noble Qur'an and teaching its sciences, exclusively for Muslim women and girls, following the methodology of the Salaf of this Ummah (may Allah be pleased with them). Approval for this has been granted by the competent authorities in Bahrain, represented by the Ministry of Justice and Islamic Affairs. Upon completion, some Muslim sisters who hold ijazahs in the narration of Hafs from 'Asim (may Allah have mercy on them both) will undertake the teaching at the center, if Allah wills. They possess, praise and thanks be to Allah, a Salafi creed based on the two great foundations: the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and the understanding of the righteous Salaf (may Allah have mercy on them). The need for establishing this Islamic institution was urgent, given the important role the Muslim woman plays when she is able to recite the Noble Qur'an in accordance with the Shari'ah and scholarly guidelines, and also to understand and reflect upon it. Furthermore, since the cost of establishing this center exceeds the capacity of those who wish to build and construct it, we have decided to write to your Eminence with the following question: Is it permissible in the Shari'ah to contribute to the establishment of this center from zakah funds and voluntary charity, or not? And to write to people of goodness, righteousness, and benevolence to encourage their contribution to this cause.
A: It is not permissible to spend zakah on establishing the aforementioned center or any other projects; because the categories of zakah are specified in the noble verse, namely the saying of Allah the Exalted:
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.