Is the Islamic government, if it exists, the one that collects zakat al-fitr, just as it collects the obligatory zakah?

Eid Abbasi : Is it established that the Islamic government, if it exists, collects zakat al-fitr itself, just as it collects certain types of zakah, or does every Muslim distribute it?

The Shaykh : No, zakat al-fitr is individual. As for the annual zakah, it is governmental, but not all of it, only certain types. The state does not take charge of collecting zakah on money from the wealthy, obligated individuals; rather, it is zakah on land and zakah on livestock. The state takes charge of these, collects them, and distributes them as it sees fit. As for zakah on money, it is not permissible for the state to collect it, contrary to what is inferred from the words of some writers in the present era who talk about organizing Islamic law and clarifying it for people's minds. Because they have not gained deep understanding in Islam, especially according to the method we call for from the Book and the Sunnah, they include zakah on money with zakah on livestock and zakah on land. This is a mixture. The best of guidance is the guidance of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and the guidance of Muhammad in this matter of zakah was with this detail: zakah on money is the responsibility of every believing, debt-free person; no one comes to ask him, "Have you paid the zakah on your wealth or not?" As for the other types we mentioned earlier, there was a collector called the sa'i. He would go around to people, their lands, and their livestock, collecting the charity from them. The Messenger (peace be upon him) established a system for them so that they would not harm the one paying zakah on one hand, nor harm the treasury of the Muslims on the other hand.