For example, Leprosy Mission Canada collects money from donors and spends it on orphans or needy people suffering from leprosy in third world countries including Bangladesh, which is a Muslim country. I have donated part of my zakat money to this organization specifying that I want it to be spent on Leprosy sufferers in Bangladesh?is this acceptable? If not what shoud I do? Thank you for your reply.
Getting a non-Muslim organisation, of the type you described, to distribute your Zakaat would not be advisable for a number of reasons:
1.They are unaware of the laws of zakaat and are very likely to flout them.
2. While they might give it to lepers, every leper is not necessarily deserving of zakaat.
3. They are non-Muslims as well in Bangladesh, thus it is very likely that this will be spent on them as well, as it would be very difficult for the organisation to adhere strictly to the desire of every donor.
4. In zakaat it is necessary for the money to be handed over to the recipient in cash or kind (i.e. tamleek is necessary), while the majority of these organisations don’t operate in this manner, rather they open up hospitals, provide medical services etc. This is an incorrect manner of distributing the zakaat.
5. Many of these organisations try to beguile Muslims and lure them away from Islam to Christianity by offering them medical and other services and showing them how generous Christians are. Thus by having such an organisation distribute your zakaat, you would be unwittingly aiding in making Muslims murtad (renegade).
Thus we would advise you to give the money personally to a deserving Muslim or have it distributed by a reliable Islamic organisation.
and Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
Mufti Ebrahim Desai