Is donating for the construction or renovation of mosques, as well as religious institutes, considered one of the channels for zakah?
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The questioner : Is donating for the construction or renovation of mosques, as well as religious institutes or schools, considered one of the channels for zakah? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Donating to general charitable causes, such as building mosques, schools, and institutes, repairing roads, and providing lodging for students of knowledge, and the like, is not included in the category of zakah. This is because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, made zakah obligatory for eight specific categories and confined this obligation to them. He said, Mighty and Majestic:[At-Tawbah 9:60] So consider His statement: [At-Tawbah 9:60] This phrase implies restriction. As the scholars said, restriction means affirming the ruling for what is mentioned and denying it for everything else. Accordingly, zakah is confined to these eight categories and is negated for anything else. Then consider His statement: [An-Nisa 4:11] where Allah, the Exalted, made these expenditures an obligation, meaning that zakah must be in them and not in anything else. Then consider His statement: [An-Nisa 4:26] It becomes clear to you that this obligation comes from the knowledge and wisdom of the most knowledgeable of the knowledgeable and the most wise of the judges, Mighty and Majestic.
By this, we know that it is not permissible to spend zakah in anything other than these eight expenditures. If someone asks, "Does not 'in the cause of Allah' include everything by which one draws near to Allah?" The answer is: No. Because if we made it include everything by which one draws near to Allah, the restriction would have no benefit. And everything in the Qur'an must necessarily contain a benefit, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not say vain or false speech. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, revealed this Qur'an in a clear Arabic language, and the Arabic language requires that this style is restrictive, meaning the ruling does not extend to anything other than what this style covers. Accordingly, the verse contains an indication that prevents the claim that His statement:[At-Tawbah 9:60] is general for all public interests, such as building mosques, schools, hostels, and others.
Then we say that if we made these charitable expenditures, which are not mentioned in the noble verse, a channel for zakah, people would stop doing the good deeds that they voluntarily offer to Allah. This is because souls are naturally inclined to stinginess. If the door of spending zakah on these causes were opened, they would not donate to these causes except with what is obligatory. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. Also, a question about zakah, O honorable Shaykh. The listener to the program used the symbol R.M. for his name.
The Shaykh : Praise be to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and I send prayers and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, and upon his family and his Companions, and upon those who follow them in excellence until the Day of Judgment. Donating to general charitable causes, such as building mosques, schools, and institutes, repairing roads, and providing lodging for students of knowledge, and the like, is not included in the category of zakah. This is because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, made zakah obligatory for eight specific categories and confined this obligation to them. He said, Mighty and Majestic:
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise.
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاِبْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌZakah expenditures are only for the poor
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ[These shares are] an obligation [imposed] by Allah
فَرِيضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِAnd Allah is Knowing and Wise.
وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌBy this, we know that it is not permissible to spend zakah in anything other than these eight expenditures. If someone asks, "Does not 'in the cause of Allah' include everything by which one draws near to Allah?" The answer is: No. Because if we made it include everything by which one draws near to Allah, the restriction would have no benefit. And everything in the Qur'an must necessarily contain a benefit, because Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, does not say vain or false speech. He, Glorified and Exalted is He, revealed this Qur'an in a clear Arabic language, and the Arabic language requires that this style is restrictive, meaning the ruling does not extend to anything other than what this style covers. Accordingly, the verse contains an indication that prevents the claim that His statement:
for the cause of Allah
وفي سبيل اللهThen we say that if we made these charitable expenditures, which are not mentioned in the noble verse, a channel for zakah, people would stop doing the good deeds that they voluntarily offer to Allah. This is because souls are naturally inclined to stinginess. If the door of spending zakah on these causes were opened, they would not donate to these causes except with what is obligatory. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you. Also, a question about zakah, O honorable Shaykh. The listener to the program used the symbol R.M. for his name.