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Collecting Zakat From Multiple People

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by DarulIftaBirmingham

Answered by: Maulana Syed Johir Miah

Question:

Scenario: Nisab is about $5,000. One person collects zakat money from multiple people in order to give it to a poor person. The total amount that he collects is approximately $50,000, which is way past the nisab. Finally, the collector provides the whole amount to the poor person at once (دفعة واحدة). Would the zakat be valid? The main concern is he is giving an amount past the nisab and the money is coming from multiple persons, not one.

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

Zakah is an obligation for every free, sane, mature Muslim when they have owned the value of Nisab and a year has passed. [1]

Zakah is also due upon a person who has money up to the amount equivalent to 52.5 tolas (612.35g) of silver. The nisab of zakat for gold is 7.5 tolas (87.48 g) and for silver, it is 52.5 tolas (612.35 g). [2]

A person can dispense Zakah themselves or get an agent to dispense it. [3]

If one person collects Zakah money from multiple people in order to give it to a poor person or persons and the amount he collected is way past the nisab (Zakah threshold), then the Zakah given on behalf of all these people is valid and it has nothing to do with it being more than the nisab in total or not while being in the possession of the agent, as that money collectively belongs to others and this agent is dispensing on behalf of them, irrespective of the wealth combined surpasses the threshold of Zakah or not.

Also, it is best to dispense it as soon as it reaches the threshold.

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Syed Johir Miah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

[1]الزكاة واجبة على الحر العاقل البالغ المسلم إذا ملك نصابا ملكا تاما وحال عليه الحول

Hidaya, 290/2, Dar ihyat Turath, Beirut, Lebanon.

[2]نِصابُ الذَّهَبِ عِشْرُونَ مِثْقالًا والفِضَّةِ مِائَتا دِرْهَمٍ كُلُّ عَشْرَةِ دَراهِمَ (وزْنُ سَبْعَةِ مَثاقِيلَ

Durrul Mukhtar, 68/1, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, 1423 H.

[3]والمُعْتَبَرُ فِي الدَّفْعِ نِيَّةُ الآمِرِ حَتّى لَوْ دَفَعَ خَمْسَةً إلى رَجُلٍ وأمَرَهُ أنْ يَدْفَعَها إلى الفَقِيرِ عَنْ زَكاةِ مالِهِ فَدَفَعَ ولَمْ تَحْضُرْهُ النِّيَّةُ عِنْدَ الدَّفْعِ جازَ؛ لِأنَّ النِّيَّةَ إنّما تُعْتَبَرُ مِن المُؤَدِّي والمُؤَدِّي هُوَ الآمِرُ فِي الحَقِيقَةِ وإنَّما المَأْمُورُ نائِبٌ عَنْهُ فِي الأداءِ ولِهَذا لَوْ وكَّلَ ذِمِّيًّا بِأداءِ الزَّكاةِ جازَ؛ لِأنَّ المُؤَدِّي فِي الحَقِيقَةِ هُوَ المُسْلِمُ، وذُكِرَ فِي الفَتاوى عَنْ الحَسَنِ بْنِ زِيادٍ فِي رَجُلٍ أعْطى رَجُلًا دَراهِمَ لِيَتَصَدَّقَ بِها تَطَوُّعًا ثُمَّ نَوى الآمِرُ أنْ يَكُونَ ذَلِكَ مِن زَكاةِ مالِهِ ثُمَّ تَصَدَّقَ المَأْمُورُ جازَ عَنْ زَكاةِ مالِ الآمِرِلَوْ قالَ: تَصَدَّقْ بِها عَنْ كَفّارَةِ يَمِينِي ثُمَّ نَوى الآمِرُ عَنْ زَكاةِ مالِهِ جازَ؛ لِما ذَكَرْنا أنَّ الآمِرَ هُوَ المُؤَدِّي مِن حَيْثُ المَعْنى وإنَّما المَأْمُورُ نائِبٌ عَنْهُ ولَوْ قالَ: إنْ دَخَلْتِ هَذِهِ الدّارَ فَلِلَّهِ عَلَيَّ أنْ أتَصَدَّقَ بِهَذِهِ المِائَةِ دِرْهَمٍ، ثُمَّ نَوى وقْتَ الدُّخُولِ عَنْ زَكاةِ مالِهِ لا تَكُونُ زَكاةً؛ لِأنَّ عِنْدَ الدُّخُولِ وجَبَ عَلَيْهِ التَّصَدُّقُ بِالنَّذْرِ المُتَقَدِّمِ أوْ اليَمِينِ المُتَقَدِّمَةِ وذَلِكَ لا يَحْتَمِلُ الرُّجُوعَ فِيهِ بِخِلافِ الأوَّلِ ولَوْ تَصَدَّقَ عَنْ غَيْرِهِ بِغَيْرِ أمْرِهِ فَإنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِمالِ نَفْسِهِ جازَتْ الصَّدَقَةُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ولا تَجُوزُ عَنْ غَيْرِهِ وإنْ أجازَهُ ورَضِيَ بِهِ أمّا عَدَمُ الجَوازِ عَنْ غَيْرِهِ فَلِعَدَمِ التَّمْلِيكِ مِنهُ إذْ لا مِلْكَ لَهُ فِي المُؤَدّى ولا يَمْلِكُهُ بِالإجازَةِ فَلا تَقَعُ الصَّدَقَةُ عَنْهُ وتَقَعُ عَنْ المُتَصَدِّقِ

Badaaius Sanaai, Kasani, 40-41/2, Darul Kutub Al-Ilmiyyah, Lebanon, Beirut, 1406 H.

إذا وكَّلَ فِي أداءِ الزَّكاةِ أجْزَأتْهُ النِّيَّةُ عِنْدَ الدَّفْعِ إلى الوَكِيلِ فَإنْ لَمْ يَنْوِ عِنْدَ التَّوْكِيلِ ونَوى عِنْدَ دَفْعِ الوَكِيلِ جازَ ويَجُوزُ لِلْوَكِيلِ بِأداءِ الزَّكاةِ أنْ يَدْفَعَ لِأبِيهِ وزَوْجَتِهِ إذا كانُوا فُقَراءَ كَذا فِي الإيضاحِ.

Al-Jawharatun Nirah Ala Mukhtasaril Quduri, 115/1, 1322 H.

This answer was collected from DarulIftaBirmingham.co.uk, which is run under the supervision of Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah from the United Kingdom.

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