Is it permissible to give zakah to someone who wants to perform Hajj or 'Umrah but does not have the means?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
A group of young men, who are memorizers of the Book of Allah and memorizers of the Sunnah, want to travel to Makkah for the purpose of 'Umrah, but they do not have the money. Is it permissible for me to give them from the zakah?
Answer:
The 'Umrah of Islam or the Hajj of Islam. Well, you may give them from the zakah; because Hajj is jihad in the path of Allah? Hajj is a jihad in which there is no fighting, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said. So if he is poor and unable to pay, and you help him to perform Hajj from the zakah, there is nothing wrong with it. Yes. But if it is voluntary, then no. Do not give them zakah for the voluntary 'Umrah and Hajj. And if you want to help them by way of donation, there is nothing wrong with it. Yes.
A group of young men, who are memorizers of the Book of Allah and memorizers of the Sunnah, want to travel to Makkah for the purpose of 'Umrah, but they do not have the money. Is it permissible for me to give them from the zakah?
Answer:
The 'Umrah of Islam or the Hajj of Islam. Well, you may give them from the zakah; because Hajj is jihad in the path of Allah? Hajj is a jihad in which there is no fighting, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said. So if he is poor and unable to pay, and you help him to perform Hajj from the zakah, there is nothing wrong with it. Yes. But if it is voluntary, then no. Do not give them zakah for the voluntary 'Umrah and Hajj. And if you want to help them by way of donation, there is nothing wrong with it. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل يجوز دفع الزكاة لمن أراد الحج أو العمرة وليس لديه مقدرة؟ للشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.