The Meaning of the Saying of Allah the Exalted: "And Those Who Are Charged with Their Collection"

The Shaykh : The third point: He said, Who are those who are charged with their collection? Those who are charged with their collection are the body, or if you wish, the committee that the state establishes to collect and distribute zakah. Therefore, it is established by the state. This is why the expression in the Noble Qur'an is "those who are charged with their collection" (al-'amilina 'alayha) and not "those who work in it" (al-'amilina fiha). They are workers, but their work is one of authority (wilayah), and thus it is followed by the preposition "with" ('ala), which indicates appointment. As for a person who is an agent for another in distributing his zakah, he is not among those who are charged with its collection, so he is not entitled to any share. For example, a man sends ten thousand riyals to a person and says, "Distribute this as zakah." Is this agent entitled to take from it, considering himself one of those charged with its collection? No, because he is not appointed by whom? By the state. Therefore, he is not one of those charged with its collection. The third point.