Who are the "those whose hearts are to be reconciled" mentioned in the verse: "Indeed, alms are only for the poor and the needy and those employed to collect them..."?
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The questioner : All right, who are the "those whose hearts are to be reconciled"?
The Shaykh : These are the ones that you, at least, do not find.
The student : All right, O Shaykh, the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic):[At-Tawbah 9:60] The eight categories, and Allah (Mighty and Majestic) mentioned among them "those whose hearts are to be reconciled." The scholars said they are of two types. Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen said, "They are of two types: a group of disbelievers whose evil is feared for the Muslims, and they are given from the zakah to avert that evil; and the other group are those weak in faith, and they are given from the zakah wealth what will establish their faith and increase their belief in the Messenger of Allah." Is this statement incorrect?
The Shaykh : No, it is correct.
The student : All right, how do we reconcile between...
Another student: It may be to avert evil, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : This is correct, because the Messenger used to give to both groups.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : He gave to people who had embraced Islam.
The student : All right, did he give them from the zakah or from the voluntary charity?
The Shaykh : From the voluntary charity, from the zakah. The treasury of the Muslims—he used to give to those who had not yet embraced Islam and to those who had embraced Islam.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the term "those whose hearts are to be reconciled" includes both categories without a doubt. And this is, without a doubt, a wonderful aspect of Islamic policy. If there were Muslim rulers today who adhered to this ruling, instead of spending the money on matters that are not prescribed.
The student : This is restricted.
The questioner : All right, you answered the brother, excuse me, that they are not given to the People of the Book, that they are not given to the People of the Book in general, like that.
The Shaykh : If it is the obligatory zakah...
The Shaykh : These are the ones that you, at least, do not find.
The student : All right, O Shaykh, the saying of Allah (Mighty and Majestic):
Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah]
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَاThe Shaykh : No, it is correct.
The student : All right, how do we reconcile between...
Another student: It may be to avert evil, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : This is correct, because the Messenger used to give to both groups.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : He gave to people who had embraced Islam.
The student : All right, did he give them from the zakah or from the voluntary charity?
The Shaykh : From the voluntary charity, from the zakah. The treasury of the Muslims—he used to give to those who had not yet embraced Islam and to those who had embraced Islam.
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : So the term "those whose hearts are to be reconciled" includes both categories without a doubt. And this is, without a doubt, a wonderful aspect of Islamic policy. If there were Muslim rulers today who adhered to this ruling, instead of spending the money on matters that are not prescribed.
The student : This is restricted.
The questioner : All right, you answered the brother, excuse me, that they are not given to the People of the Book, that they are not given to the People of the Book in general, like that.
The Shaykh : If it is the obligatory zakah...
Source
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The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.