Is it permissible to give Zakat al-Mal (obligatory charity on wealth) to a needy person to build a house?
Scholars have differed on the amount of to be given to the poor (faqir) and the needy (miskin): The majority opinion is that the faqir or miskin should be given what suffices him and his dependents for one year, because Zakat is recurrent annually, and it is not permissible to give him an amount with which he can buy a house. Whereas Al-Shafi'i and Ibn Taymiyyah were of the opinion that the faqir or miskin should be given from Zakat what takes him out of poverty into self-sufficiency, whether it be little or much, to include purchasing tools for his trade or what brings him sufficient income. Ibn Uthaymeen chose the first opinion, that it is not permissible to give the poor from Zakat what he can buy a house with; rather, a house should be rented for him from Zakat funds, in order to preserve Zakat funds and allow opportunity for other poor people.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
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