Can i use Zakat money to help in marriages of Poor Muslims? Zakat for Education?
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa
Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
AssalamAlikum…..
I have been reading your articles and learned many things about Islam. I am
thanking you all for providing useful information on Islam.
As you
know zakat money is given to poor Muslim or madarsa. Every year i use distribute
the zakat money to poor muslims. I have few queries regarding using zakat
money.
1) Can i use the Zakat money to educate a poor Muslim student?
2) I
want to use the zakat money to educate poor Muslim students. I will select poor
Muslim person, i will spend zakat money to train person on some useful training
work like tailoring, type writing or learning some work or pursuing some
graduation, which will help him to earn bread for him and his family members.
While giving money to him, i will make clear intention in my heart that i am
giving zakat money to the person. But i will not tell the poor person that the
money is zakat money. I will say to him iam giving money to help him; after he
completes the training he should return the money. Once he successfully
completed this training or learning i will declare, not to return the money
which i have spent on him. My intension in doing so is, poor person feel some
responsibility during the training and effective learn the skills. Please tell
me any thing wrong in doing so....
3) Can i use Zakat money to help in marriages of Poor Muslims?
Please kindly answer my above queries and if any thing wrong in doing as stated
above...., please let me know. If any better ways to use zakat money please
suggest.
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errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Zakah on Education
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask
for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever
He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that
there is no one (no idol, no person,
no grave, no prophet, no
imam, no dai, nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah
Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the
seal of His Messengers.
May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world
and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble
efforts in the propagation of the Truth.
If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister
get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves
indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful
to serve in His Cause. We hope,
beg, and pray the Merciful Lord
accepts our humble and weak efforts, forgives us our shortcomings, and saves
you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire. Ameen.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verse 60:
60 Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to
administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled
(to the Truth), for those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and
for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of Knowledge
and Wisdom.
In light of the above guidance of the Glorious Quran,
Zakah can be paid in any of the eight above listed categories.
Your
Question-1: Can i use the Zakat money to educate a poor Muslim student?
The poor and needy are indeed amongst those to whom Zakah
dues may be paid in Islam.
Your
Question-2: I will say to him iam giving money to help him; after he completes
the training he should return the money. Once he successfully completed this
training or learning i will declare, not to return the money which i have spent
on him. My intension in doing so is, poor person feel some responsibility
during the training and effective learn the skills. Please tell me any thing
wrong in doing so....
One of the obligatory conditions of paying one’s
zakah is that the person when paying it makes an intention (in his heart) that
the payment is from his zakah dues.
There is absolutely no need or obligation that the one receiving the
zakah dues be told or informed that the alms are from zakah.
One should not tell the person receiving the zakah that
the payment is a debt which he has to return later, regardless of whatever the
intention one has in one’s heart to forgive him the debt later. It would be best to rather spend on the
person, and make intention in one’s heart that the funds being spent are
from the zakah dues only for the sake and pleasure of Allah Subhanah.
Your
Question-3: Can i use Zakat money to help in marriages of Poor Muslims?
Spending on the ‘poor’ and the
‘needy’ are indeed from the allowable portals where zakah dues can
be spent; thus it is absolutely permissible for one to spend from one’s
zakah dues to help in the marriage costs of poor muslims.
Your
Question: If any better ways to use zakat money please suggest.
Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Alms
given to a poor man is just alms, but when given to a relative it serves a
double purpose, being both charity and helping joining relations."
The deen of Islam has emphasized time and time again to
establish ties with one’s relatives, and encouraged the believers to be
good to one’s kith and kin.
Although paying charity to the poor and needy is good and one will have
his reward with Allah, if one gives his charity to one amongst his relatives
who is poor he will have a double reward from Allah Subhanah: one for the
fulfillment of his zakah dues, and two for enjoining and helping one’s
kith and kin. The Messenger of
Allah (saws) said that charity to one’s relatives is amongst the best of
charities.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to
Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and
He is the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and well wisher in
Islam,
Burhan
