The Companions paying zakat al-fitr on behalf of those they support: what is the evidence for this?
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The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, I mean, he says, ask the question, we will open the questions, it is obligatory, it is obligatory.
The questioner : I mean, it is obligatory upon them individually.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... I mean, the Companions paying ... .
The Shaykh : They paid, what did they do? They paid what? They did not pay it; rather, they made it obligatory upon the young and the old. So those who pay, if it is authentic that they paid on behalf of those in their care, that is out of scrupulousness. Yes, yes?
The questioner : I mean, the Companions paying ... .
The Shaykh : Out of scrupulousness.
The questioner : Yes, out of scrupulousness, contrary to the practice now. People now see it as obligatory.
The Shaykh : Yes, based on the school of jurisprudence, they see it as obligatory based on the school of jurisprudence.
The questioner : And what justifies it, since it is an individual obligation upon the young and the old?
The Shaykh : Yes, the hadith they cited to support their point is They cited this hadith, and this hadith is weak.
The questioner : I mean, the general application of the hadith to the young and the old ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, it says it is obligatory upon the young and the old. If no one supports him, it is obligatory upon him. If someone supports him, it is upon the one who supports him, based on the hadith, but the hadith is not authentic.
The questioner : And the correct view is that ...
The Shaykh : And the correct view is that it is obligatory upon the person himself.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Himself. But if the head of the household pays on their behalf, as is customary among us now, and they accept that, there is nothing wrong with it. Yes?
The Shaykh : ... .
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, I mean, he says, ask the question, we will open the questions, it is obligatory, it is obligatory.
The questioner : I mean, it is obligatory upon them individually.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... I mean, the Companions paying ... .
The Shaykh : They paid, what did they do? They paid what? They did not pay it; rather, they made it obligatory upon the young and the old. So those who pay, if it is authentic that they paid on behalf of those in their care, that is out of scrupulousness. Yes, yes?
The questioner : I mean, the Companions paying ... .
The Shaykh : Out of scrupulousness.
The questioner : Yes, out of scrupulousness, contrary to the practice now. People now see it as obligatory.
The Shaykh : Yes, based on the school of jurisprudence, they see it as obligatory based on the school of jurisprudence.
The questioner : And what justifies it, since it is an individual obligation upon the young and the old?
The Shaykh : Yes, the hadith they cited to support their point is
Pay the zakat on behalf of those you support.
أدوا الزكاة عمن تمونونThe questioner : I mean, the general application of the hadith to the young and the old ... .
The Shaykh : Yes, it says it is obligatory upon the young and the old. If no one supports him, it is obligatory upon him. If someone supports him, it is upon the one who supports him, based on the hadith
Pay the zakat on behalf of those you support.
أدّوا الزكاة عمن تمونونThe questioner : And the correct view is that ...
The Shaykh : And the correct view is that it is obligatory upon the person himself.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Himself. But if the head of the household pays on their behalf, as is customary among us now, and they accept that, there is nothing wrong with it. Yes?