Discharging Zakaat To An Ineligible Recipient
Question
I gave Zakaat to a person thinking that he is a valid recipient of Zakaat. A month later I realized that he was not a person who was eligible to receive Zakaat.
Is my discharging of Zakaat valid?
Answer
If you had investigated the matter and after pondering carefully, felt satisfied that the person in question was eligible for Zakaat and therefore gave him Zakaat funds then your Zakaat will be discharged and you will not have to discharge your Zakaat for a second time, even though you have now found out that he does not qualify as a recipient of Zakaat.
However, if you gave the person Zakaat funds without pondering carefully and conducting an investigation to determine whether the person qualifies as a recipient of Zakaat, then your Zakaat will not be discharged, and you will now have to discharge your Zakaat for the second time.
- Approved by
- Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
Fatawa SA is an independent, read-only index of fatawa already published by Darul Ifta, Darul Uloom Azaadville. It is not a fatwa service. For your own situation, ask the issuing Darul Ifta directly.