We have a zakah fund, and we receive letters from abroad requesting assistance, especially from those who are oppressed; so should we disburse zakah funds to them?

The questioner : Regarding the collection of zakah, it comes to us.

The Shaykh : Regarding what?

The questioner : The zakah collection committee.

Another questioner : The zakah collection committee.

The Shaykh : A zakah committee.

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Pardon me, what is this zakah committee?

The questioner : These are young men in... they formed a group.

Another questioner : A fund.

The questioner : A zakah fund.

The Shaykh : A zakah fund specific to a group of young men, with no connection to the state.

The questioner : No, it is not related.

The Shaykh: All right.

The questioner : Letters come from outside Kuwait requesting assistance, in case they are fighters or oppressed, meaning should we disburse to them from zakah funds rather than voluntary charity?

The Shaykh : Did you not attend the lesson yesterday?

The questioner : ... .

The Shaykh : Did you not attend, or hear a word about this issue?

The questioner : Or preachers, I mean.

The Shaykh : How?

The questioner : For the da'wah.

The Shaykh : I have spoken here more than once that it is not permissible to disburse zakah except in one of the eight categories. May Allah have mercy on you. The eight categories are all clear and distinct, but the second to last of them, which is His saying (Glorified and Exalted is He): , causes difficulty for some people among contemporary writers and Islamic preachers, who interpret this phrase with a broad meaning. This expansion in interpretation is, in my belief, one of the innovations of matters; because the meaning of: does not exceed jihad in the cause of Allah and pilgrimage in the cause of Allah, and more than that is not mentioned in the interpretation of the righteous predecessors. And thus, it is not permissible to disburse zakah funds except in the categories mentioned in this verse, including jihad in the cause of Allah and pilgrimage to the House of Allah the Sacred. As for charitable projects, these must be established from the expenses of donations from funds other than the obligatory zakah funds; because you all know the verse: , it was brought with "inna" (indeed), which is a tool of restriction; as if the verse means it says: The obligatory zakah is not disbursed except in these eight categories. And without doubt, what you asked about is not a category among the eight categories. However, if there is an established legitimate jihad, it is in the cause of Allah without doubt, or if there is a poor man, for example, who cannot afford the pilgrimage or is in need of assistance, and he is given money that enables him to perform the pilgrimage to the House of Allah the Sacred; then it is in the cause of Allah. This is the answer to what you asked.