[urgent istifta] Dear Mufti Sb. Assalamu Alaikum What do Ulama say about the following masail? An organization collects Zakat and spends it in bellow activities. 1) Organizes big conferences and exhibitions 2) Runs satellite TV channel and casts programmes on it 3) Produces CDs and DVDs of the programmes 4) Spends on organization’s website 5) Uses it for traveling expenditure of its heads and others 6) Runs an English medium school 7) Qur?an distribution among the non-Muslims Note: monthly fees of the school where Zakat amount is spent is e.g. around ten thousand but a student cannot afford for whole sum of fees then the school takes five thousand from the student and completes the rest from the Zakat. Please answer these masail in the light of Qur?an and Sunnah of the Prophet (saw) that one can pay the sum of Zakat to this sort of organization or not. If not then what does Shariah speak about the Zakat of a person who had already paid to the organization?
Answer
(Fatwa: 2032/333=H/1429)
The Zakah shall not be valid if spent by the organization towards the directions mentioned in the question; therefore it is unlawful to give Zakah to such organizations. The Zakah already given to such organizations shall not be acceptable and valid; one has to repay the same. Yes, if Zakah money is given in possession of a poor student (entitled to receive Zakah) and the student pays his fees then the Zakah will be valid.
Allah (Subhana Wa Ta’ala) knows Best
Darul Ifta,
Darul Uloom Deoband