The Recipients of Zakah
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Praise be to Allah alone, and peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from His Royal Highness, the Prince of the Jazan Region and Chairman of the Committee for Assisting Indigent Prisoners, in his letter number (12306) dated 19/4/1430 AH, which was referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars with number (661) and date 2/5/1430 AH. His Highness asked a question, the text of which is as follows: Based on the principle of social solidarity, a committee was established in the Emirate of the Region, called the "Committee for Assisting Indigent Prisoners," with the aim of paying off the debts of indebted prisoners and releasing them so that they may return
to their families. The payment is made by the Committee according to specific conditions, the most important of which are that the debtor is imprisoned, that his inability to pay what is owed to him is verified, that the debt arose due to a lawful cause, that the debt is not the result of a criminal offense, and that the debtor is not one who manipulates people's money. Since the Committee's funding sources are the zakah and charity of benefactors, we hope that Your Eminence will inform us of the permissibility of distributing zakah or part of it to this category of people, considering that they are among the debtors?
After studying the inquiry, the Committee responded that Allah - Mighty and Majestic - has specified the recipients of zakah in His saying:[At-Tawbah 9:60], mentioning the debtors among the categories of zakah recipients. Debtors are of two types: the first type is one who incurs debt to reconcile between people and to quell fitnah (trial, discord or temptation) and disputes that result in financial obligations, and he commits to paying them with the intention of recovering the amount from zakah. This type of debtor is given from zakah what he has spent, even if he is wealthy. The second type is one who incurs debt to improve his own situation and condition in a permissible matter, such as one who borrows for his maintenance and the maintenance of those whose support is obligatory upon him. He is given from zakah what pays off his debt. If the Muslim knows that those in charge of the Committee distribute what reaches them of zakah in its lawful recipients or in some of them, and that they are of integrity, trustworthiness, and piety to a degree that inspires confidence in them, then there is no harm in giving them from zakah so that they may distribute it among the lawful recipients.
If a person borrows money for his own maintenance and the maintenance of those whose support is obligatory upon him, he is given from the zakah what is sufficient to settle his debt. So, if a Muslim knows that those in charge of the committee distribute the zakah they receive in its lawful channels, or in some of them, and that they are of such integrity, trustworthiness, and piety that he can rely on them, then there is nothing wrong with giving them from the zakah so that they may undertake its distribution in the lawful channels.
to their families. The payment is made by the Committee according to specific conditions, the most important of which are that the debtor is imprisoned, that his inability to pay what is owed to him is verified, that the debt arose due to a lawful cause, that the debt is not the result of a criminal offense, and that the debtor is not one who manipulates people's money. Since the Committee's funding sources are the zakah and charity of benefactors, we hope that Your Eminence will inform us of the permissibility of distributing zakah or part of it to this category of people, considering that they are among the debtors?
After studying the inquiry, the Committee responded that Allah - Mighty and Majestic - has specified the recipients of zakah in His saying:
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاِبْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌIf a person borrows money for his own maintenance and the maintenance of those whose support is obligatory upon him, he is given from the zakah what is sufficient to settle his debt. So, if a Muslim knows that those in charge of the committee distribute the zakah they receive in its lawful channels, or in some of them, and that they are of such integrity, trustworthiness, and piety that he can rely on them, then there is nothing wrong with giving them from the zakah so that they may undertake its distribution in the lawful channels.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.