The ruling on paying zakah to zakah committees and charitable associations

Question:
Honorable Shaykh, may Allah grant you success. The questioner says: Do the zakah committees authorized by the state count as representatives of the ruler? Is paying zakah to them considered paying it to the ruler?

Answer:
Yes, indeed. They are representatives of the one in authority if he has authorized them to collect zakah from the people. They are his agents, so you pay it to them. However, you do not pay zakah to the associations they call "charitable," and Allah knows best. You do not pay it to them because it is not known where it goes or how it is spent. It may be hoarded and accumulated without being distributed. It is obligatory in your liability, and your liability is not discharged until it reaches the poor person, whether from you or from your agent. Therefore, one must exercise the utmost caution with zakah, because it is a pillar of Islam.