Discharging zakaat

Q: A person need to give R25 000 in Zakaat. If he buys a cattle (for that price) and give it's meat as Zakaat, is it permissible and will his whole zakaat be regarded as done?

Q: I have a Muslim helper. She has been having problems with where she is staying and needs help with rent. Is it permissible for me to pay her rent from my zakaat money? That's besides her monthly wages. This will be me paying her rent from my zakaat money to help her out.

Q: I would like to inquire: if an individual deliberately refuses to pay Zakaat, does the Imaam al-Muslimeen have the authority to compel him to discharge this obligatory duty? 

I have read that the Fuqaha make a distinction between amwaal-e-zahirah and amwaal-e-batinah. Could you kindly explain this further and provide references from the books of Fiqh?

Q: I would like to know if I can pay zakaat in the form of making a set of spectacles (frame & lens) to a patient that cannot afford / or where the parents of the child (15 year old) are in financial difficulty and can accept zakaat, based on what we know of the family.

Q: A person gave his Zakaat to an organization and told them that that since he is giving them his Zakaat, they should assist him by giving him the same amount in lillah. Is this permissible, and will his Zakaat be discharged?

Q: The Botswana Muslim Association zakaat committee is currently in the process of restructuring its operations for enhanced transparency, security, and accountability. 

At present, one of our full-time imaams is solely responsible for all aspects of the zakaat operations. To improve our processes, we would like to employ a full-time finance officer to handle fund management, accounting, and financial reporting, as well as an additional aalim to assist with needs assessments, verification of zakaat applications, and conducting home visits. 

We seek guidance on whether it would be permissible to allocate a portion of the zakaat funds collected to cover the remuneration for these roles, given that they would directly contribute to the effective and responsible administration of zakaat distribution.

Q: I have a retail business that's just breaking even month on month, alhumdulillah. This year has been my hardest year and revenue is declining. I have approximately R2.8mil in stock that is very slow moving and I want to know, how do I go about paying the zakaat on my business this year? The revenue generated weekly is used for salaries, day to day expenses and purchasing of fast selling goods. There are weeks that I don't take any wage, so I need to plan ahead, so that my business zakaat can be discharged accordingly. My zakaat date is 1st Rabi Al Awaal

Q: I need to pay zakaat. Can I purchase a flat and give my sister as she does not own a house and she is living on rent with not good income, even her husband is not earning enough?

Q: The following has occurred and I am not sure if it counts as my zakaat being fulfilled.

We have a neighbor who is a worthy recipient of zakaat. My parents were in the process of helping them amend some part of their home when my zakaat became due. I had informed them of it and so my mother gave the man who is doing the fixing, the money to buy the tools and materials with the intention of zakaat for our neighbor. It was not given to the man doing the fixing in lieu of his labour but rather for the material needed to fix our zakaatable neighbors house.

Is my zakaat considered as valid ?

Q: Instead of paying zakaat with cash, can a person give goods to that amount that the recipient needs?

Would it be permissible to give someone a device that they need?