Ruling on giving zakaah to charitable organisations that help displaced people and migrants

Firstly:

It is not
permissible to give obligatory zakaah to any except the eight categories
specified by Allah, may He be exalted, in His Book (interpretation of the
meaning):

“Zakah
expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed
to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for
freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of
Allah and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allah .
And Allah is Knowing and Wise”

[at-Tawbah 9:60].

For detailed
information on these categories, please see the answer to question no.
46209.

Giving zakaah to
organisations that help the needy is in effect delegating these
organisations to deliver zakaah to those who are entitled to it. That is
permissible on condition that those in charge of the organisation are
trustworthy and will deliver the zakaah to the categories prescribed in
Islamic teaching.

But if they will
give the money to both rich and poor, Muslim and non-Muslim, then zakaah
should not be given to them.

It is better for
the individual to distribute his zakaah himself, so that he can be certain
that it has reached one who is entitled to it.

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

In our region
there is a branch of a charitable organisation. Is it permissible to give
some of the zakaah of my wealth to them?

He replied: If
those who are in charge of this branch of the charitable organisation are
people who are trustworthy in terms of their religious commitment and
knowledge, then there is nothing wrong with giving them some of your zakaah,
and telling them that it is zakaah, lest they distribute it in the manner of
regular charity.

But if you do
not know how they are, then it is better for you to give it yourself. In
fact the best is to give the zakaah yourself in all cases, because a
person’s giving his zakaah directly himself, being certain that it has
reached those who are entitled to it, and being rewarded for making the
effort to make sure that it reaches those who are entitled to it, is better
than his giving it to someone else to distribute it on his behalf.

End quote from
Fataawa Noor ‘ala ad-Darb (7/408).

For more
information, please see the answer to question no.
242603.

Secondly:

If the
organisation will take the money and use it to buy things to be given to
those who are entitled to zakaah, such as food, medicine, and clothing, then
this is a matter concerning which there is a difference of opinion among the
fuqaha’. The majority are of the view that it is not valid, but some of the
fuqaha’ are of the view that it is valid; this is the view of the Hanafis,
and was the view favoured by Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah, if that serves
the interests of the poor.

In fatwa no.
79337, we stated that Shaykh ‘Abd al-‘Azeez ibn Baaz
(may Allah have mercy on him) allowed the giving of zakaah in the form of
goods, such as medicine and food, instead of giving it in the form of cash,
if that serves an interest. But if it is to be used to buy things that those
who are entitled to it will not take possession of themselves, such as
ambulances or equipment to treat the sick, then it is not permissible to buy
such things from zakaah funds.

See the answer
to question no. 212183.

And Allah knows
best.