I saw a man who leads the people in prayer, and at the 'Id al-Fitr prayer he sits with a measure called the mudd in front of him, the capacity of which is equivalent to seven kilograms of wheat or

The questioner : I saw a man who leads the people in prayer, and at the 'Id al-Fitr prayer he sits with a measure called the mudd in front of him, the capacity of which is equivalent to seven kilograms of wheat or of sorghum. We prepare zakat al-fitr for him in kind, not in cash, where we fill the mudd for every person in the family. However, he does not distribute it to the poor; rather, when the rain falls in the farming season, he sells the grains for his own account and does not give them out. Is that permissible in the Shari'ah, O honorable Shaykh, in your view? And have we fulfilled the zakat by our action, or not? Please inform us, may Allah reward you with the best reward.

The Shaykh : If this man is poor and needs these grains, then he is among the people eligible for zakat, and it is permissible to give zakat to him. However, he should not do this, because this is asking people for help; he has asked people with his state, and perhaps he is also asking them with his words. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: It is not fitting for him, as he appears to be an imam according to the question, to place himself in this position. As for if this man is rich, then giving zakat to him is not lawful and does not suffice you. If you are forced to do so, give him the amount of zakat to ward off his harm, and give out the zakat from another source to those who are eligible for it. Yes.

The questioner : From Libya, the listener Abdullah Mu'min from the Libyan Republic sent these questions. He says in the first question.