Is it permissible for him to delegate someone to distribute zakaah on his behalf?



ANSWER:


Praise be to Allaah.

If zakaah has become obligatory for him, it is permissible for him to delegate a trustworthy person to distribute the zakaah, but it is better for him to distribute it himself and not to delegate it to someone else, so that he can be certain that it has been done.

It says in al-Insaaf (3/197): It is permissible to delegate someone to give zakaah, and it is valid to do so, but that is on condition that this person be trustworthy. This was stated by Imam Ahmad. [That person] should also be a Muslim, according to the correct view. End quote.

Al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in al-Majmoo (6/138): He may delegate someone to dispose of the zakaah that he may distribute himself Indeed it is permissible to delegate someone else to do that even though it is an act of worship, because it is like paying off debts, and because it may be necessary to appoint a delegate because the wealth is elsewhere and so on. But distributing it himself is better than delegating someone else, and there is no difference of scholarly opinion on that score, because then he will be certain that it has been distributed, which is not the case when it is delegated to someone else. End quote.

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him) was asked:

Is it permissible to delegate someone else to give zakaat al-fitr and zakaah on ones wealth, or to accept it?