Is it permissible to pay zakah outside the country?
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The questioner : May Allah preserve you, O Shaykh. Is it permissible to pay zakah in a country other than the zakah-payer's country, given that he knows a poor person in need of zakah?
The Shaykh : In his own country.
The questioner : No, not in his own country, but in another country?
The Shaykh : If paying zakah outside the country has a specific Shari'ah justification, such as having relatives in another country, then there is no harm. However, without such a distinction, it is not permissible to transfer it from the country where the wealth is located, because the people of the country where the wealth is located have a stronger right to it than others. In fact, some scholars say: It is not permissible to transfer it from the country where the wealth is located unless there are no eligible recipients of zakah there. Yes, and through this we know the caution of the Shari'ah in such matters.
The Shaykh : In his own country.
The questioner : No, not in his own country, but in another country?
The Shaykh : If paying zakah outside the country has a specific Shari'ah justification, such as having relatives in another country, then there is no harm. However, without such a distinction, it is not permissible to transfer it from the country where the wealth is located, because the people of the country where the wealth is located have a stronger right to it than others. In fact, some scholars say: It is not permissible to transfer it from the country where the wealth is located unless there are no eligible recipients of zakah there. Yes, and through this we know the caution of the Shari'ah in such matters.