Zakaat

Giving zakaat to refugees

Q: There are a lot of refugees currently needing support. Would it be ok to use part of the zakaat for buying products that are needed e.g diapers for the babies and donating these products as part of zakaat? Products are collected centrally and distributed amongst the refugees at that location.

Zakaat on pension fund

Q: I belonged to a Pension Fund at work however it was disbanded and I moved the monies to a retirement annuity. This money is only available to me at age of 55. I have been told that I need to pay zakaat on it annually. The amount is substantial and I cannot afford to pay this annually. Why do I have to pay zakaat if I am not able to use the funds until 55 years?

Giving one's brother zakaat

Q: If my brother is in debt for 200k earns +- 14k also has old lay-bys that he pays for every month, has two children, rents a flat, has house expenses plus petrol, always ends up taking money and food from my mum, can my mom and I give him our zakaat or interest money to pay his debts?

Is zakaat obligatory if one is in overdraft

Q: I am married with a three month old son. My wife and I both work. We live in a very modest lifestyle and Alhamdulliah just about manage to afford our essentials every month (rent, food, electricity, etc). However, once all the expenses are paid, our bank account is in an overdraft. We have been living in a bank overdraft for almost a year now and are trying our best to get out of it due to Allah's ruling on interest. Is Zakaah still obligatory on us? If yes, how do I calculate a percentage on a negative bank balance?