Is affiliation with religious shaykhs enough to qualify someone for zakah?
2026-10-13
T152 · Ibn Taymiyyah
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
شيخ الإسلام أحمد بن تيمية
Original Q&A · Complete source question and answer
Complete original question and answer, 25/87–88. Religious affiliation alone is not presented as eligibility. The distinction between a recipient and a trustworthy distributor, and the comparison of equal need, are retained.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
وسئل عن دفع الزكاة إلى قوم منتسبين إلى المشايخ: هل يجوز أم لا ؟
الجواب
وأما الزكاة، فينبغي للإنسان أن يتحري بها المستحقين من الفقراء والمساكين والغارمين وغيرهم من أهل الدين، المتبعين للشريعة فمن أظهر بدعة أو فجورا؛ فإنه يستحق العقوبة بالهجر وغيره والاستتابة، فكيف يعان على ذلك؟!
وأما من يأخذها وينفقها بحسب اختياره، أو ينفقها على عياله مع غناه، فهذا لا يجوز دفعها إليه، ولا تبرأ ذمة من دفعها إليه، بل لا تعطي إلا لمستحقها، أو لمن يعطيها لمستحقها، مثل من عنده خبرة بأهلها وأمانة، فيؤديها إليهم، كما قال تعالى: "إن الله يأمركم أن تؤدوا الأمانات إلى أهلها" [النساء: 58].
وإذا طلبها من لا يعلم حاجته إليها، وهو يعلم حاجة آخر، فإعطاء من يعلم أولى، وإعطاء القريب المحتاج الذي ليس من أهل نفقته أولى من إعطاء البعيد المساوي له في الحاجة.
English translation
English translation prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited Arabic source. It is not an official translation.
Original question
He was asked about giving zakah to people affiliated with shaykhs: is that permissible?
Answer
As for zakah, a person should carefully seek those entitled to it: the poor, the needy, debtors and other religious people who follow the revealed law. Someone who openly displays religious innovation or wickedness deserves correction through avoidance and other measures and being called to repent; how, then, can he be assisted in that?
As for someone who takes it and spends it as he chooses, or spends it on his dependants despite being wealthy, it is not permissible to give it to him, and the giver's obligation is not discharged. It must be given only to someone entitled to it or to someone who will deliver it to its rightful recipients—for example, someone who knows who qualifies and is trustworthy, so that he delivers it to them. As Allah says: ‘Allah commands you to render trusts to those entitled to them’ [al-Nisāʾ 4:58].
If someone whose need is unknown asks for it, while another person's need is known, giving it to the one whose need is known is preferable. Giving it to a needy relative whom one is not obliged to maintain is preferable to giving it to an unrelated person of equal need.
Source and editorial notes
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā 25/87–88
مجموع الفتاوى
Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā
Arabic question and complete answer collated with the cited source text and its adjacent question boundaries. Arabic diacritics omitted, display marks removed and honorific glyphs expanded. Browsing headings and scope notes are editorial.