A man whose wealth became subject to zakah, and he paid the zakah and gave it to the one in charge of distributing it to the poor and the needy, and he placed it in a safe place, and then it was stolen from him
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The questioner : The questioner says: A man whose wealth became subject to zakah, and he paid the zakah and gave it to the one in charge of distributing it to the poor and the needy, and he placed it in a safe place, and then it was stolen from him. Does he have to pay the zakah again?
The Shaykh : Do you understand the question? A man gave his zakah to a person and said, “Take these coins and spend them as zakah,” and the coins were stolen. So, is he liable to compensate the poor for these coins, or not?
We say: He is liable to compensate the poor, because it did not reach them, and it did not reach their agent, so he is liable. But who is liable to compensate? Is it the agent or the principal? We say: If the agent was negligent and placed the coins in a place that was not secure, then the liability is on him. But if he exercised due diligence and placed the coins in a safe place, but they were stolen, then the liability is on whom? It is on the principal, who is the owner of the coins. Yes.
The questioner : He says:The questioner : What is the ruling on lost property in the Haram...
The Shaykh : It remains to be said: If a person gave his zakah to charitable organizations and it was stolen, is it liable to be compensated or not?
The answer: It is not liable to be compensated. It is not liable to be compensated because charitable organizations receive these funds by virtue of an order and permission from the government. So, they are like those who work on charity. Thus, their taking possession of it is a lawful taking on behalf of the poor. If the funds are lost while in the possession of the charitable organizations, then there is no liability on the organizations or on the owner of the wealth to compensate for the zakah, except if there was negligence in preserving it. In that case, the liability is on the organization. Yes.
The Shaykh : Do you understand the question? A man gave his zakah to a person and said, “Take these coins and spend them as zakah,” and the coins were stolen. So, is he liable to compensate the poor for these coins, or not?
We say: He is liable to compensate the poor, because it did not reach them, and it did not reach their agent, so he is liable. But who is liable to compensate? Is it the agent or the principal? We say: If the agent was negligent and placed the coins in a place that was not secure, then the liability is on him. But if he exercised due diligence and placed the coins in a safe place, but they were stolen, then the liability is on whom? It is on the principal, who is the owner of the coins. Yes.
The questioner : He says:The questioner : What is the ruling on lost property in the Haram...
The Shaykh : It remains to be said: If a person gave his zakah to charitable organizations and it was stolen, is it liable to be compensated or not?
The answer: It is not liable to be compensated. It is not liable to be compensated because charitable organizations receive these funds by virtue of an order and permission from the government. So, they are like those who work on charity. Thus, their taking possession of it is a lawful taking on behalf of the poor. If the funds are lost while in the possession of the charitable organizations, then there is no liability on the organizations or on the owner of the wealth to compensate for the zakah, except if there was negligence in preserving it. In that case, the liability is on the organization. Yes.