FINANCE
Zakat Is Not for Hors d’Oeuvres A guide to zakat-eligibility and avoiding misdirecting its distribution BY AHMED SHAIKH
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s things generally stand, much of the zakat given in the U.S. by wealthy Muslims ends up circulating among themselves, whether by design or misunderstanding. God admonishes Muslims that “… wealth will not merely circulate among your rich” (Quran, 59:7). We can do better. Many fatwas state that zakat can mean almost anything. While making no claims about the individual rulings’ integrity or quality, however, we should lament this demoralizing and socially unjust campaign’s cumulative effect to “anythingify” zakat. I attempt to provide a guide that takes into consideration the economic impacts of your worship.
EVERYTHING IS “FI SABILILLAH”
For many centuries, our community’s religious scholars have interpreted this category of zakat eligibility (i.e., fi sabilillah) as being limited primarily to warfare. However, fi sabilillah has gradually become the conventional go-to for nonprofit organizations eager to repurpose your worship for anything and everything. Instead of getting caught up in the debates about its meaning or the different scholarly opinions, ask yourself the following question: Do you want your zakat to benefit the needy or the well-to-do? Not infrequently, the affluent nonprofit corporations appeal for your zakat fi sabilillah to support their own projects and the related expenses. Some nonprofits have cynically promoted fi sabilillah as a classic catch-all category, which indicates that they are profoundly non-seriousness, even frivolous, about their fellow Muslims’ worship. The Muslim nonprofit sector has created and normalized this “zakat loophole,” thereby moving this core pillar of Islam away from its main purpose: taking care of the community’s poor as part of living their faith.
CHARITY VS. MUTUAL BENEFIT ASSOCIATIONS
All Muslims benefit from giving zakat, for doing so fulfills an act of worship and
religious obligation. We may even feel good about ourselves afterward. With other kinds of charity, however, donors tend to benefit from the value of the dollars contributed because their contributions benefit themselves. This type of giving is like giving zakat to yourself. Listed below are a few common examples found in our community. ◆ Mosques. A mosque is a classic mutual benefit organization. If you donate to it and the salary goes to an imam, the value created was the great khutba you heard. Given that money only has value when spending it, your donation was not for a khateeb but for you to benefit from him. Similarly, the good resulting from your contribution was not the building itself, but that you and others had the opportunity to pray in it. Historically and still today, many mosques do not accept zakat for their operations. This may seem odd to many who see fi sabilillah as a zakat category, since mosques would seem to be in that category. Some mosques do accept zakat when they are running behind schedule for raising funds for a construction or major project, or if they just feel the need for more money. It’s always easy to find a fatwa that gives desperate mosque board members the permission they need. Muslim donors can generally see the recirculation problem here more starkly and are more likely to object to their mosque accepting zakat for such purpose. This “recirculation” problem affects other classes of charities as well. ◆ Civil Rights and Political Advocacy Organizations. These types of organizations, which do not specifically focus on the needy, also deploy the fi sabilillah claim. In fact, much of their activity is framed as benefiting all Muslims. In truth, however, they actually often benefit the most affluent among us. Advocacy groups focus on lobbying, finding internships for young people and pursuing interfaith and media relations while concentrating their efforts and energy on their affluent donor base.
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As such, they sometimes spend significant sums on sumptuous fundraising events and expenses to attract potential donors who are far from impoverished. If you go to a small fundraiser at your friend’s home, somebody’s zakat probably paid for the hors d’oeuvres that you end up eating. Yes, some civil rights and political advocacy groups may be doing good work, and not all of it is for the affluent. However, you may consider donating non-zakat funds if you feel strongly about their mission. Given that your zakat is an economic act of worship, you would do well to consider it a right of the needy, rather than a right of multi-million-dollar nonprofit corporations.
