Is it permissible to invest zakah funds?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : Is it permissible to invest zakah and voluntary charity funds for the benefit of da'wah committees that invest money?
The Shaykh : As for zakah, it is not permissible to invest it because it is for meeting the need of the poor person who is present. If it is invested, it may deprive the poor people who are currently present and benefit poor people who do not exist yet. It is for meeting the current needs of the poor, so it is not permissible to invest zakah in projects. As for voluntary charity, yes, we may say that if the charity exceeds the needs of the people of the town and the person sees that he should invest it, that is good, provided that it does not deprive those who are present now. Do you understand? If someone asks about zakah, and if the people of the town do not need it, we say to give it to other countries among the Muslim lands, in the East or the West. As for voluntary charity, it is broader.
The summary of the answer now is an important answer, because some people of good who manage such associations act with good intentions, but their actions are not valid. It is not permissible to establish investment projects with zakah because it is for meeting the need of the poor person who is present. If there are no poor people in the town, it is transferred to the nearest country to it. As for voluntary charity, it is broader, so it can be said that if the people of the town do not need it, investment projects can be established with it. Yes.
The Shaykh : As for zakah, it is not permissible to invest it because it is for meeting the need of the poor person who is present. If it is invested, it may deprive the poor people who are currently present and benefit poor people who do not exist yet. It is for meeting the current needs of the poor, so it is not permissible to invest zakah in projects. As for voluntary charity, yes, we may say that if the charity exceeds the needs of the people of the town and the person sees that he should invest it, that is good, provided that it does not deprive those who are present now. Do you understand? If someone asks about zakah, and if the people of the town do not need it, we say to give it to other countries among the Muslim lands, in the East or the West. As for voluntary charity, it is broader.
The summary of the answer now is an important answer, because some people of good who manage such associations act with good intentions, but their actions are not valid. It is not permissible to establish investment projects with zakah because it is for meeting the need of the poor person who is present. If there are no poor people in the town, it is transferred to the nearest country to it. As for voluntary charity, it is broader, so it can be said that if the people of the town do not need it, investment projects can be established with it. Yes.