Fatwa ID: 08283
Written by Maulana Mohammed Aabu Saeed Miah
Question:
According to classical ulama can zakat be given to dawah organisations under fisabilillah?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
“Indeed, Sadaqat (zakat) is only for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, to free slaves, for those in debt, in the path of Allah (Fisabilillah), and for the traveller in need. This is an obligation from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60)
Dawah organisations will not be considered as Fisabilillah according to the classical Scholars. This matter is clearly explained under the commentary of the the above aayah by Mufti Muhammad Shafi (r.a) in his Ma’ariful Quran.
Please find below.
“The literal meaning of fi sabilillah is very general and very common. Anything done for the good pleasure of Allah is included under fi sabilillah in the light of this popular sense. Unfortunately, there are people who wish to understand the Qur’an through a literal translation alone. They would skip the explanations and statements of the Holy Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) and ignore the sayings of major commentators. As a result, they fall into error. One such error shows up when they look at fi sabilillah and find it spacious enough to accommodate everything they fancy. Under this head of Zakah, they have included everything that is considered to be good or religious. Under this umbrella, they have included the building of mosques, religious schools, hospitals, inns, even the provision of public services like wells, bridges and roads. Then, they do not seem to forget the salaries and contingent expenses of the institutions of public service. All these, they include under fi sabilillah and declare them to be worth receiving Zakah funds. This is absolutely wrong and very much against the consensus of the Muslim Ummah. This is something already decided clearly and categorically. There are statements of the noble Sahabah, the direct disciples of the Holy Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم). They had learnt and understood the Qur’an from him. Then, there are explanations of this expression passed on to us from the most learned authorities from among the Tabi` in. All of them restrict the expression to Hujjaj and Mujahidin.
It appears in a Hadith that someone had given a camel as religious endowment in the way of Allah (fi sabilillah). For it, the Holy Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) said: ` Use this camel to carry Hujjaj (Hajj pilgrims) on their journey.’ (Al-Mabsut, Al-Sarakhsi, p. 10, v. 3)
Imam Ibn Jarir and Imam Ibn Kathir are known exegetes who limit themselves to explaining the Qur’an through Hadith reports only. They both have particularised fi sabilillah with mujahidin and Hujjaj who do not have the wherewithal necessary for Jihad or Hajj.
As for jurists who have included students in religion or servants of good causes in this category, they have done so subject to the condition that they should be poor and needy. And it is obvious that the poor and the needy are in themselves the first among the recipients of Zakah. Even if they were not included under the sense of fi sabilillah, still they would have deserved receiving Zakah. But, no one from among the four Imams and jurists of Muslim Ummah ever said that expenditures on institutions of public welfare, building of mosques and religious schools and the rest of their functional needs are included under the head of Zakah disbursements.
In fact, they have made it very clear that spending Zakah funds for this purpose is impermissible. Jurists from different schools of Islamic jurisprudence have written about it in great details. The names of some of them are being given as follows: Hanafi jurist Al-Sarakhsi in al-Mabsut [ p. 202, v. 2] and Sharh al-Siyar [ p. 244, v. 4], Shafi i jurist Abu ` Ubayd in Kitab al-Amwal, Maliki jurist Dardir in Sharh Mukhtasar al-Khalil [ p.161, v. 1] and Al-muwaffaq in al-Mughni.
Other than the clarifications from authorities of Tafsir and jurists of Islam referred to earlier, a little thought over this matter will help us understand the problem quickly. Let us think for a moment. If this field of Zakah was so all-embracing that it could accommodate spending on every act of worship and virtue, then, the identification of these eight recipients in the Qur’an becomes (God forbid) totally redundant. So does the statement of the Holy Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) cited earlier where he said that Allah Ta`ala has not delegated the authority to determine the recipients of Sadaqat even to a prophet, in fact, He has Himself determined the eight categories of its recipients. This tells us that the element of universal application visible to an unaware person from a literal translation of fi sabilillah (in the way of Allah) is not what Allah means. Instead, it means what stands proved from the words of the Holy Prophet (صلی اللہ علیہ وآلہ وسلم) and the related clarifications of the Sahabah and the Tabi in.” – End Quote
Please note that it is permissible for one to give Zakat funds to an honest organisation who ensure that all the funds will be delivered to the appropriate recipient (those proven from the Quran). Ones duty to pay Zakat is complete after they hand over the money to the zakat sharing organisation.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Mohammed Aabu Saeed Miah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
(Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60)
كِتَابُ الزَّكَاةِ) (وَفِيهِ ثَمَانِيَةُ أَبْوَابٍ)
(الْبَابُ الْأَوَّلُ فِي تَفْسِيرِهَا وَصِفَتِهَا وَشَرَائِطِهَا)
أَمَّا تَفْسِيرُهَا فَهِيَ تَمْلِيكُ الْمَالِ مِنْ فَقِيرٍ مُسْلِمٍ غَيْرِ هَاشِمِيٍّ، وَلَا مَوْلَاهُ بِشَرْطِ قَطْعِ الْمَنْفَعَةِ عَنْ الْمُمَلِّكِ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ لِلَّهِ – تَعَالَى – هَذَا فِي الشَّرْعِ كَذَا فِي التَّبْيِينِ وَأَمَّا صِفَتُهَا فَهِيَ فَرِيضَةٌ مُحْكَمَةٌ يَكْفُرُ جَاحِدُهَا وَيُقْتَلُ مَانِعُهَا هَكَذَا فِي مُحِيطِ السَّرَخْسِيِّ وَتَجِبُ عَلَى الْفَوْرِ عِنْدَ تَمَامِ الْحَوْلِ حَتَّى يَأْثَمَ بِتَأْخِيرِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ عُذْرٍ، وَفِي رِوَايَةِ الرَّازِيّ عَلَى التَّرَاخِي حَتَّى يَأْثَمَ عِنْدَ الْمَوْتِ، وَالْأَوَّلُ أَصَحُّ كَذَا فِي التَّهْذِيبِ.
ص170 – كتاب الفتاوى العالمكيرية الفتاوى الهندية – كتاب الزكاة وفيه ثمانية أبواب – المكتبة الشاملة
إذَا وَكَّلَ فِي أَدَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ أَجْزَأَتْهُ النِّيَّةُ عِنْدَ الدَّفْعِ إلَى الْوَكِيلِ فَإِنْ لَمْ يَنْوِ عِنْدَ التَّوْكِيلِ وَنَوَى عِنْدَ دَفْعِ الْوَكِيلِ جَازَ كَذَا فِي الْجَوْهَرَةِ النَّيِّرَةِ وَتُعْتَبَرُ نِيَّةُ الْمُوَكِّلِ فِي الزَّكَاةِ دُونَ الْوَكِيلِ كَذَا فِي مِعْرَاجِ الدِّرَايَةِ فَلَوْ دَفَعَ الزَّكَاةَ إلَى رَجُلٍ وَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَدْفَعَ إلَى الْفُقَرَاءِ فَدَفَعَ، وَلَمْ يَنْوِ عِنْدَ الدَّفْعِ جَازَ
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ص171 – كتاب الفتاوى العالمكيرية الفتاوى الهندية – الباب الأول في تفسير الزكاة وصفتها وشرائطها – المكتبة الشاملة.
