What is the ruling on accepting the aid given to us by the manager of a charitable organization where my brother works, given that our financial situation is moderate?

The questioner : Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.

The questioner: Shaykh Nasser al-Din’s house.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: Excuse me, is the Shaykh there? I want to ask him this question.

The Shaykh : He is with you.

The questioner : Peace be upon you.

The Shaykh: And upon you peace.

The questioner: My question, if you please, Shaykh, concerns my brother, who works at a charitable organization.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: They brought them from the commercial establishments, in the form of aid, meaning for the needy and the poor.

The Shaykh: Yes.

The questioner: And the owner of the organization, the daughter of the owner of the organization, meaning the manager, gave him a portion of the supplies and told him: “These are like a gift, meaning aid for you.” And our financial situation is moderate; we are not very rich, nor are we poor, we are in the middle. So what is your comment on the matter, meaning should he accept the gift or not?

The Shaykh : You say your situation is moderate.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : The word “moderate” needs clarification: either zakah is obligatory upon you, or it is permissible for you to receive zakah. Is this concept clear to you, or does it need clarification?

The questioner: Meaning we pay zakah on our wealth if we have, for example...

The Shaykh : Yes.

The questioner: Ah, ah, that’s right.

The Shaykh : Yes, so does zakah come out of your wealth?

The questioner: Ah, by Allah, it does come out.

The Shaykh : Meaning that every year the zakah on wealth comes out of your possession.

The questioner: Not every year, but it just happened that this year we have, for example...

The Shaykh : Yes, in the year in which zakah is obligatory upon you, it is not permissible for you to accept this charity that that woman gave to your brother.

The questioner: Ah, meaning it is not always, but only this year, because we paid zakah this year; we have some wealth, a little wealth.

The Shaykh : Yes, that is it.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : When you are rich, you give to the poor and do not take from the rich. And when you are poor, you take from the rich. This is how our Lord organized the Muslim community.

The questioner : Yes.

The Shaykh : Is the answer clear to you?

The questioner: Yes, it is clear.

The Shaykh : Good, do you have anything else?

The questioner: No, thank you, Shaykh.

The Shaykh: Peace be upon you.