Can IRF collect Zakat?
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:
Salaam,
Thanks for the reply, but you have not answered my one part of the
question. Can IRF (Islamic Research
foundation) in
Allah Hafiz
Abde Allah
(There may be
some grammatical and spelling 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:
Can IRF collect
Zakat?
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.
In a proper Islamic State, it would be the duty of the State to collect
the zakaah from the rich and distribute them amongst the poor and needy of the
society. But today, since there is no
proper Islamic State under which we live, it is upto the individual to
distribute his zakaah dues according to the guidance of the Quran and Sunnah.
Thus, today, the individual can either distribute the
zakaah dues himself, or if he trusts an
Islamic organization, there is no harm
if he gives his zakaah to them for distribution. The IRF organization is indeed
a reputable organization of honest god-fearing brothers dedicated to the
propagation of the Truth of Islam. In
my humble opinion, there is absolutely no harm in your giving the zakah dues to
them for distribution.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,
Burhan
Wister