A woman receives zakah and knows some of the poor people who owe her money; is it permissible for her to take this zakah to collect her right?
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The questioner : Noble Shaykh, a woman receives zakah and knows some of the poor people who owe her money; is it permissible for her to take this zakah to collect her right?
The Shaykh : This is not permissible. It is not permissible for a person who is given zakah to allocate it specifically to his debtors whom he is seeking to collect from, because this is favoritism. However, if he is sincere, he should say to the one who gave him the zakah, "So-and-so, you gave me zakah to distribute, and I am seeking to collect from So-and-so and So-and-so. Do you permit me to take the zakah on behalf of these people?" If he says yes, there is no harm. But without informing them, it is not permissible for him to give any of it to his debtors, because this is favoritism.
The Shaykh : This is not permissible. It is not permissible for a person who is given zakah to allocate it specifically to his debtors whom he is seeking to collect from, because this is favoritism. However, if he is sincere, he should say to the one who gave him the zakah, "So-and-so, you gave me zakah to distribute, and I am seeking to collect from So-and-so and So-and-so. Do you permit me to take the zakah on behalf of these people?" If he says yes, there is no harm. But without informing them, it is not permissible for him to give any of it to his debtors, because this is favoritism.