The Fatwa Council of Tareem is\nlocated in Hadramaut, Yemen. Hadramaut has been a major centre for scholarship\nfor over a millennium and has produced many of the world\u2019s leading Shafi\u2019i\nscholars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The fatwa starts by reasserting\nthat Zakat funds must be distributed to the categories mentioned in the verse\n60 of Surah 9 in the Quran:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
{Zakat expenditures are only\nfor the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [Zakat] and\nfor bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves]\nand for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded]\ntraveller – an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise<\/em>}.<\/p>\n\n\n\n It also mentions that Zakat\ncannot be given to non-Muslims.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fatwa goes on by explaining\nthat, normally, the agent of Zakat is either the Governor or his\nrepresentative, or the person in charge of the goods of another person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Then the fatwa explains the\nconditions set by the Shafi\u2019i school in case of giving Zakat to an agent who is\nnot Muslim, as this is the case when giving Zakat to some charities or\norganizations. There are three conditions: the Zakat donor should specify the\nperson receiving Zakat, know that the person received Zakat and make the\nintention of giving Zakat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fatwa then makes it clear\nthat it is not allowed from an Islamic point of view to cover any expenses with\nZakat funds. Staff salaries must be paid from other legitimate sources, if\nemployees do not do it on a voluntary basis. It is also a condition for\ncollecting Zakat that the collector is a trustworthy Muslim and a jurist (Fakeeh<\/em>)\non the topic of Zakat. As for the ones helping him, like the persons weighing the\ngoods or calculating Zakat, it is not an obligation for them to be Muslims. It should\nbe mentioned here that the fatwa refers to the books of Fiqh (Islamic\njurisprudence) where these conditions were stated. This was at a time when the\nGovernor will appoint a person (called the Saa\u2019i<\/em>) to physically go to\nthe people and collect their Zakat. He would calculate and weigh the Zakat\ngiven to be sure that all Zakat due was effectively given. This is by having\nthis context in mind that the fatwa must be understood.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The fatwa ends up with the topic of transferring Zakat outside the country where it has been collected. Even if the strongest opinion narrated from Imam Shafi\u2019i is that it is not allowed, the opposite opinion is still valid and most of the scholars actually follow the opinion that it can be done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n