Q: 121 – Title: Allhamdolliah and salawat and salam to RasoolAllah sallallho alihe wassalam. Through the tofeeq of Allah and guidance of Ullama I reached the position to calculate the final amount of Zakat. Now is the worry to decide the right person for it to consume. I tried a lot on the website but didn’t get similar answer. Can you please explain

Question

Bismillah hir Rahman Arraheem Assalam o alaikum

Allhamdolliah and salawat and salam to RasoolAllah sallallho alayhe wassalam. Through the tofeeq of Allah and guidance of Ullama I reached the position to calculate the final amount of Zakat. Now is the worry to decide the right person for it to consume. I tried a lot on the website but didn’t get similar answer. Can you please explain in detail (if possible) with the heading of “who to give Zakat?” or any reasonable similar heading.

Another thing confirm, long time back after asr salah mufti sahib announced in masjid that more or less “Zakat cannot be given to a person who has Television in his house. If some body has already given to such person having Television he will have to repeat his zakat payment to the right place”. Mulana sahib this worries me too much now and I become very conscious and worried while giving Zakat as it is obligatory and repeating is also difficult because of weak iman. Now a days there are families I know who dont have food to eat "somethimes" but always have television at home.

We are in the phase of opening a madrasah for girls in one locality so can we use this amount to buy the furniture whiteboards and other islamic text books, fee of mudarris, electricity gas etcetera which will obviously remain with us as we will be supervising that but will be used for madrassah. This will start after Ramadan and Zakat is due on 1st ramadan that is today. I am doubtful that the madrassah will be succesfull or not but in case it is not I have intention to donate all that stuff bought from zakat money to other madrassah.

Please guide me in this regard and may Allah give you Jazai Khair.

Assalam o alikum

Answer

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Assalamu 'alaykum wa Rahmatullahi Wabarakatuh

1. In principle a person who does not owns 612.35 grams of silver or any other goods (which  is besides the necessities of life) equals the amount of 612.35 silver will be entitled to receive zakah. For more detail to know who are the recipients of zakah see chapter of zakah in Bahisti Zewar On the following links:

http://www.islamicbulletin.com/services/all_ebooks_p3.aspx

http://www.islamicbulletin.com/free_downloads/women/bahishti_1_2_3.pdf

http://www.islamicbulletin.com/free_downloads/women/bahishti_4_5_6_7.pdf

2. Although Television is not regarded as necessity of life, however, a poor person who possess TV and he is not a sahib-e-nisab (e.g. the value of TV plus any thing besides the necessities of life does not equals the amount of 612.35 grams of silver) then giving zak?h to such a person will be discharged and there is no need to repeat the payment of zakah.

(fatawa darul 'uloom Vol.6, Pg. 234, Makthabah Imdadiyyah)

3. Zakah will not be discharged by spending in these avenues with out Halah Tamlik (i.e. a recipient of zakah is encouraged to borrow some money and spend it in these avenues; thereafter zakah money is given to him to settle his account.)

And Allah Ta'ala Knows Best
Wassalamu 'alaykum

Ml. Abduz Zaman,
Student Darul Ifta

Concured by:

Ml. Abdur Rahman Shareef,
Student Darul Ifta

Darul Ifta, Madrasah In'amiyyah