Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
I was wondering if there is some preference as to who is supposed to receive Zakah money. Do the needy have to be in your community or can you send the money abroad or does it really matter?
Answer:
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
I pray that this finds you well, and in the best of health and spirits. May Allah grant you all good and success in this life and the next.
In the Hanafi school, there is nothing wrong with paying zakat in another country or region if people there are more needy than those in one’s country or region. [Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar.]
And Allah alone gives success.
Faraz Rabbani