Is it permissible for a man to delay paying his zakah if he does not find a poor person or knows of a poor person who is traveling, so he waits for him to return to give it to him? And is it permissible to give
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The questioner : The first question says: We live in a remote village, and the poor people there are few, praise be to Allah. So when we pay our zakah, some of it remains, and this remainder sometimes stays with me until I search for a recipient outside the village. Is there any sin on us for that? And is it permissible to give it to someone who is not strictly eligible, such as someone whose situation is moderate, even if there is an absent poor person whom I know? Is it permissible for me to delay his share of the zakah until he returns?
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Regarding what the questioner mentioned about there being no poor people in their town and that he delays part of his zakah until he finds poor people, we tell him that it is not befitting for him to delay it. Rather, if he knows that there are no poor people in his area who are eligible for zakah, he should send it to the nearest town to him. There is no harm in this situation for him to send it from the town where he is, and in fact, he may send it from the town where he is for the sake of public benefit, even if it is not due to dire necessity, as in this case. Accordingly, we say that if you wish to pay your zakah, you should calculate it and then send it to a town where there are poor people. If it is near you, that is better; otherwise, even if it is far away. And know that if a person has a debt that he cannot repay, it is permissible to pay his debt from the zakah. Accordingly, if there are people in your town who do not need daily expenses but have debts they cannot repay, there is no harm in paying their debts from the zakah, even if you give all your zakah to one person whose debt can cover it, there is no blame on you. However, if their circumstances are stable, even if they are moderate, and they have no debts, it is not permissible to spend the zakah on them. Yes.
The questioner : The second question says.
The Shaykh : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and all his Companions. Regarding what the questioner mentioned about there being no poor people in their town and that he delays part of his zakah until he finds poor people, we tell him that it is not befitting for him to delay it. Rather, if he knows that there are no poor people in his area who are eligible for zakah, he should send it to the nearest town to him. There is no harm in this situation for him to send it from the town where he is, and in fact, he may send it from the town where he is for the sake of public benefit, even if it is not due to dire necessity, as in this case. Accordingly, we say that if you wish to pay your zakah, you should calculate it and then send it to a town where there are poor people. If it is near you, that is better; otherwise, even if it is far away. And know that if a person has a debt that he cannot repay, it is permissible to pay his debt from the zakah. Accordingly, if there are people in your town who do not need daily expenses but have debts they cannot repay, there is no harm in paying their debts from the zakah, even if you give all your zakah to one person whose debt can cover it, there is no blame on you. However, if their circumstances are stable, even if they are moderate, and they have no debts, it is not permissible to spend the zakah on them. Yes.
The questioner : The second question says.