Fatwa ID: 08740
Answered by: Alimah Maryam Badshah
Question:
I know it is makruh to give zakat to only one person in such quantity that he become sahiban-nisab, but can you say is this makruh, makruh tanzihi or tahrimi?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Zakah is the compulsory (fardh) purification of wealth that a person must give once they have possessed their wealth for over a year. Unlike Sadaqah, there are restrictions regarding those who may receive Zakah and those who cannot. Those who are eligible for Zakah are as follows:
- a) The poor (faqeer): someone who has little means to support themself and their basic needs.
- b) The needy (miskeen): someone who has no means to support themself and their basic needs.
- c) The one who has been appointed to be a collector of Zakah.
- d) Those in bondage, in order to secure their release.
- e) Those in debt, where paying the total of their short-term debt would cause this person to fall below the nisab.
- f) Fi Sabilillah, i.e. for those who are striving on the path of Allah (swt), if they are in need.
- g) The wayfarer and traveller, if they are in need during their journey.
It is not permissible to give Zakat to someone who is not a Muslim, one whose wealth has reached nisab, a Hashemite (a person from the family of Nabi (saw), or to one’s own direct descendants (children/grandchildren), ascendants (father/grandfathers) or wife.
When distributing Zakat, one should keep in mind that the purpose is to relieve those in need and poverty. It would be makhruh for a person to continue giving zakat to a person once they have reached the point where they are due to give zakat (sahib an-nisab). Once the charity they have received has caused them to become sahib an-nisab and the person is no longer eligible, it would be more just and beneficial for the zakat to be given to others who are in need.
“Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those who collect it [zakah] and for inclining hearts [to Islam] and for freeing those captive and for those in debt and in the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation (fardh) from Allah- And Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise.” Surah Towbah (9:60)
References:
وَأَمَّا الَّذِي يَرْجِعُ إلَى الْمُؤَدَّى إلَيْهِ فَأَنْوَاعٌ: مِنْهَا أَنْ يَكُونَ فَقِيرًا فَلَا يَجُوزُ صَرْفُ الزَّكَاةِ إلَى الْغَنِيِّ إلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ عَامِلًا عَلَيْهَا لِقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى ﴿إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ﴾ [التوبة: ٦٠] جَعَلَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى الصَّدَقَاتِ لِلْأَصْنَافِ الْمَذْكُورِينَ بِحَرْفِ اللَّامِ وَأَنَّهُ لِلِاخْتِصَاصِ فَيَقْتَضِي اخْتِصَاصَهُمْ بِاسْتِحْقَاقِهَا فَلَوْ جَازَ صَرْفُهَا إلَى غَيْرِهِمْ لَبَطَلَ الِاخْتِصَاصُ
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.2, pg.43, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
… بِخِلَافِ الزَّكَاةِ فَإِنَّا عَقَلْنَا الْمَعْنَى فِيهَا وَهُوَ دَفْعُ الْحَاجَةِ وَإِزَالَةُ الْمَسْكَنَةِ
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.2, pg.44, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
قَوْله تَعَالَى ﴿إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ﴾ [التوبة: ٦٠] وَقَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ «لَا تَحِلُّ الصَّدَقَةُ لِغَنِيٍّ»
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.2, pg.47, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
(ولا تدفع إلى غني) يملك قدر النصاب من أي مال كان فارغاً عن حاجته
Al-Lubāb Fi Sharh al-Kitāb (Vol.1, pg.155, Al-Maktaba Al-’Ilmiyyah)
وَأَمَّا الْغِنَى الَّذِي يَحْرُمُ بِهِ أَخْذُ الصَّدَقَةِ وَقَبُولُهَا فَهُوَ الَّذِي تَجِبُ بِهِ صَدَقَةُ الْفِطْرِ وَالْأُضْحِيَّةِ وَهُوَ أَنْ يَمْلِكَ مِنْ الْأَمْوَالِ الَّتِي لَا تَجِبُ فِيهَا الزَّكَاةُ مَا يَفْضُلُ عَنْ حَاجَتِهِ وَتَبْلُغُ قِيمَةُ الْفَاضِلِ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ مِنْ الثِّيَابِ وَالْفُرُشِ وَالدُّورِ وَالْحَوَانِيتِ وَالدَّوَابِّ وَالْخَدَمِ زِيَادَةً عَلَى مَا يَحْتَاجُ إلَيْهِ كُلُّ ذَلِكَ لِلِابْتِذَالِ وَالِاسْتِعْمَالِ لَا لِلتِّجَارَةِ وَالْإِسَامَةِ، فَإِذَا فَضَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يَبْلُغُ قِيمَتُهُ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ وَجَبَ عَلَيْهِ صَدَقَةُ الْفِطْرِ وَالْأُضْحِيَّةِ وَحَرُمَ عَلَيْهِ أَخْذُ الصَّدَقَةِ…
وَمِنْهَا أَنْ يَكُونَ مُسْلِمًا فَلَا يَجُوزُ صَرْفُ الزَّكَاةِ إلَى الْكَافِرِ…
(وَمِنْهَا) أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ مِنْ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ…
وَمِنْهَا أَنْ لَا تَكُونَ مَنَافِعُ الْأَمْلَاكِ مُتَّصِلَةً بَيْنَ الْمُؤَدِّي وَبَيْنَ الْمُؤَدَّى إلَيْهِ؛ لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ يَمْنَعُ وُقُوعَ الْأَدَاءِ تَمْلِيكًا مِنْ الْفَقِيرِ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ بَلْ يَكُونُ صَرْفًا إلَى نَفْسِهِ مِنْ وَجْهٍ وَعَلَى هَذَا يَخْرُجُ الدَّفْعُ إلَى الْوَالِدَيْنِ وَإِنْ عَلَوَا وَالْمَوْلُودِينَ وَإِنْ سَفَلُوا؛ لِأَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا يَنْتَفِعُ بِمَالِ الْآخَرِ وَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَدْفَعَ الرَّجُلُ الزَّكَاةَ إلَى زَوْجَتِهِ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.2, pg.48-9, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
وَيُكْرَهُ لِمَنْ عَلَيْهِ الزَّكَاةُ أَنْ يُعْطِيَ فَقِيرًا مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ أَوْ أَكْثَرَ وَلَوْ أَعْطَى جَازَ وَسَقَطَ عَنْهُ الزَّكَاةُ فِي قَوْلِ أَصْحَابِنَا الثَّلَاثَةِ…
وَجْهُ قَوْلِهِ أَنَّ هَذَا نِصَابٌ كَامِلٌ فَيَصِيرُ غَنِيًّا بِهَذَا الْمَالِ وَلَا يَجُوزُ الصَّرْفُ إلَى الْغَنِيِّ وَلَنَا أَنَّهُ إنَّمَا يَصِيرُ غَنِيًّا بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِ الْمِلْكِ لَهُ فَأَمَّا قَبْلَهُ فَقَدْ كَانَ فَقِيرًا فَالصَّدَقَةُ لَاقَتْ كَفَّ الْفَقِيرِ فَجَازَتْ وَهَذَا؛ لِأَنَّ الْغِنَى يَثْبُتُ بِالْمِلْكِ، وَالْقَبْضُ شَرْطُ ثُبُوتِ الْمِلْكِ فَيَقْبِضُ ثُمَّ يَمْلِكُ الْمَقْبُوضَ ثُمَّ يَصِيرُ غَنِيًّا أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ يُكْرَهُ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُنْتَفِعَ بِهِ يَصِيرُ هُوَ الْغَنِيُّ
Badā’i’ Al-Ṣanā’i’ (Vol.2, pg.48-9, Dār Al-Kutub Al-’Ilmiyyah)
﴿ إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّهِ ۗ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴾
Qur’an (9:60)
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Alimah Maryam Badshah
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
