Is paying Zakat to the government obligatory, or is it permissible for the one paying Zakat to distribute it to the needy himself?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
If the Imam is just in collecting and disbursing , it should be paid to him. But if he is not, the owner of the wealth should disburse it to the deserving recipients, and it should not be paid to the Imam even if he requests it. Some scholars, like the Hanbalis, have even recommended that the zakat payer distribute his zakat himself, even if a just Imam exists, to ensure it reaches its rightful recipients.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/53258
Where this answer came from
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- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 53258
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy