To whom is voluntary charity given? And are the same conditions required for it as for obligatory zakah?
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The questioner : To whom is voluntary charity given? And are the conditions required for obligatory zakah also required for it? We ask for your guidance on this.
The Shaykh : Voluntary charity is broader than obligatory zakah, because obligatory zakah is not permissible except for the eight categories that Allah the Exalted specified in His saying:[At-Tawbah 9:60].
As for voluntary charity, it is broader. It is permissible for a person to give charity to someone who needs it, even if he is not poor. It is permissible to give charity to students of knowledge, even if they are wealthy, to encourage them in seeking knowledge. It is permissible to give charity to a wealthy person for the sake of affection and closeness. It is broader, but the more beneficial it is, the better it is. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.
The Shaykh : Voluntary charity is broader than obligatory zakah, because obligatory zakah is not permissible except for the eight categories that Allah the Exalted specified in His saying:
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 حَكِيمٌAs for voluntary charity, it is broader. It is permissible for a person to give charity to someone who needs it, even if he is not poor. It is permissible to give charity to students of knowledge, even if they are wealthy, to encourage them in seeking knowledge. It is permissible to give charity to a wealthy person for the sake of affection and closeness. It is broader, but the more beneficial it is, the better it is. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you, O honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge, and benefit the Muslims through you.