Question:

What is the ruling on taking the zakah incumbent on the property of the Muslims residing in Western countries and sending it abroad, in view of the need of the Muslims and their institutions in the Western countries, and the lack of sufficiency in developing countries?  

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear questioner, we would like to thank you for the great confidence you place in us, and we implore Allah Almighty to help us serve His cause and render our work for His Sake.

Generally speaking, the zakah should be distributed in the country of the zakah itself unless there a certain need outside the country to spend zakah there and at the same time there is sufficiency inside the country.

Responding to the question, the European Council for Fatwa and Research states the following:

The principle is that zakah should be disposed of in the country of the zakah itself, unless there is sufficiency or there is a well-determined need outside the country. This is the verdict of the majority of Shafi`is, Malikis, and Hanbalis in the light of the hadith of Mu`adh (may Allah be pleased with him), in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) is reported to have said, �Tell them that Allah has enjoined on them alms that will be taken from the rich among them and returned to the poor among them.� (Al-Bukhari and Muslim).

Also, the above ruling is based on the procedure followed during the era of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, when the zakah was given to the poor people of the country where the zakah was levied; because sending it outside the country would disagree with its objectives, the most important of which is bringing about sufficiency among the Muslims of a certain country.

Therefore, the Muslims on whose wealth zakah becomes incumbent and whose wealth is in the Western countries, should give some of their zakah to the Islamic institutions that are based on reviving the commitment to Islam, such as Islamic centers, mosques, da`wah institutions, and Islamic schools, and give some of their zakah to poorer countries until sufficiency is realized there.

Allah knows best.

Responded by: 

European Council for Fatwa and Research