The ruling on paying zakah in kind without appointing an agent
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
A merchant who owns cars that he rents out pays his zakah in foodstuffs and gives them to the poor. He has been doing this for years without an agent and without appointing the poor as his agents. Is his zakah valid?
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The presenter:
I say, may Allah reward you. A merchant who owns cars that he rents out pays his zakah in foodstuffs and gives them to the poor. He has been doing this for years without appointing the poor as his agents. Do you consider his zakah valid?
The Shaykh:
The one who pays the zakah is the one who distributes it.
The presenter:
Yes, indeed. Foodstuffs, yes, he distributes foodstuffs.
The Shaykh:
He gives them to the poor.
The presenter:
In the form of foodstuffs.
The Shaykh:
He does not need to, but
The presenter:
without appointing the poor as his agents.
The Shaykh:
He does not need to appoint them. They are the recipients. They are the agents. They are the recipients.
The presenter:
Meaning, is the zakah valid?
The Shaykh:
They are the recipients, the recipients of the zakah. They are like those who eat. However, if he sees the benefit in doing so, and the poor are not good at managing their affairs, or orphans are not good at managing their affairs, or women are not good at managing their affairs, then it is permissible to give them clothes or food. Otherwise, he should distribute money. But if he sees the benefit, a group of imams permit distributing trade goods, such as food and clothes, for the sake of benefit. Often, some poor people are not good at managing their affairs, whether they are orphans, those with weak insight, or women whom one fears will mishandle the money. So he gives them what meets their needs, taking care to give them the equivalent of the zakah, not less. He gives them the equivalent of the zakah or more, out of respect for his religion. So if he gives to women, orphans, or poor people who are afraid of mishandling the money, and there is a benefit in doing so, there is no harm in it. And if he is successful in this, Allah will forgive him.
A merchant who owns cars that he rents out pays his zakah in foodstuffs and gives them to the poor. He has been doing this for years without an agent and without appointing the poor as his agents. Is his zakah valid?
The Shaykh:
Yes.
The presenter:
I say, may Allah reward you. A merchant who owns cars that he rents out pays his zakah in foodstuffs and gives them to the poor. He has been doing this for years without appointing the poor as his agents. Do you consider his zakah valid?
The Shaykh:
The one who pays the zakah is the one who distributes it.
The presenter:
Yes, indeed. Foodstuffs, yes, he distributes foodstuffs.
The Shaykh:
He gives them to the poor.
The presenter:
In the form of foodstuffs.
The Shaykh:
He does not need to, but
The presenter:
without appointing the poor as his agents.
The Shaykh:
He does not need to appoint them. They are the recipients. They are the agents. They are the recipients.
The presenter:
Meaning, is the zakah valid?
The Shaykh:
They are the recipients, the recipients of the zakah. They are like those who eat. However, if he sees the benefit in doing so, and the poor are not good at managing their affairs, or orphans are not good at managing their affairs, or women are not good at managing their affairs, then it is permissible to give them clothes or food. Otherwise, he should distribute money. But if he sees the benefit, a group of imams permit distributing trade goods, such as food and clothes, for the sake of benefit. Often, some poor people are not good at managing their affairs, whether they are orphans, those with weak insight, or women whom one fears will mishandle the money. So he gives them what meets their needs, taking care to give them the equivalent of the zakah, not less. He gives them the equivalent of the zakah or more, out of respect for his religion. So if he gives to women, orphans, or poor people who are afraid of mishandling the money, and there is a benefit in doing so, there is no harm in it. And if he is successful in this, Allah will forgive him.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام [ ابن باز ] [ الشرح الجديد ]، تابع أحاديث في الجهاد - 4 — islamhouse.com (9:15)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.