Transferring Zakah Outside the Country of the Wealth
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Fatwa No. ( 1449 )
Q: I am in the Eastern Region and am not one of its original inhabitants, and the eligible recipients of zakah are unknown to me there. Is it permissible for me to transfer the zakah, or part of it, to my home country or to a country where I know the eligible recipients of zakah, such as orphans, the elderly, and relatives?
A: If the matter is as you described, there is no harm in transferring it to a country where there are poor people to whom you can pay it. The basis for the permissibility of this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Mu'adh :
Sahih Muslim 19a If the owner of the wealth does not find in the country where the wealth is located anyone whom it is more likely than not that he is among those who are entitled to zakah, then it is permissible for him to transfer it due to the absence of a place to distribute it. Abu Ubayd narrated in his book *Al-Amwal* that Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) sent to 'Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) charity from Yemen, so 'Umar rejected that and said: I did not send you as a collector or to take the jizyah, but I sent you to take from the rich people of the people and return it to their poor. So Mu'adh said: I did not send you anything while I found someone to take it from me. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: I am in the Eastern Region and am not one of its original inhabitants, and the eligible recipients of zakah are unknown to me there. Is it permissible for me to transfer the zakah, or part of it, to my home country or to a country where I know the eligible recipients of zakah, such as orphans, the elderly, and relatives?
A: If the matter is as you described, there is no harm in transferring it to a country where there are poor people to whom you can pay it. The basis for the permissibility of this is the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to Mu'adh :
tell them that Allah has made Zakat obligatory for them that it should be collected from the rich and distributed among the poor
أعلمهم أن عليهم صدقة تؤخذ من أغنيائهم فترد في فقرائهم
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.