Discharging Zakaat to an ineligible recipient
Question
Mr Abdullah, who is eligible to receive Zakaat, sold his damaged vehicle for R30 000 cash. His intention for selling was to buy another reliable vehicle for himself a.s.a.p. with that same money. So he keeps this money aside for the vehicle. About2 months later Mr Abdullah receives R2000 Zakaat from Mr Ismail. Then, a week later, Mr Abdullah finds a vehicle for himself for R30 000, and he buys it. Is the Zakaat discharged by Mr Ismail to Mr Abdullah valid?
Answer
Zakaat can only be given to a person who is not in possession of the threshold (Nisaab) of Zakaat. The threshold of Zakaat as of 26/06/2018 is R4598.82 in South Africa.
In the enquired case, the Zakaat of Mr Ismail to Mr Abdullah will be valid if Mr Ismail was unaware of Mr Abdullah having R30 000 in his posession at the time after making the necessary endeavours to ascertain Mr Abdullahs’ Zakaat eligibility. However, if Mr Ismail did not make the necessary endeavours at the time to ascertain the same, the Zakaat of Mr Ismail to Mr Abdullah will not be valid and Mr Ismail will have to discharge it again to an eligible recipient of Zakaat. (Shaami 1/138)
And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best
- Answered by
- Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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