Can I transfer zakah to another country, like back home overseas?

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TRANSFERRING ZAKAH TO ANOTHER COUNTRY

Q: Can I transfer zakah to another country, like back home overseas?
A: There is a difference of opinion:

  • Majority of scholars (jumhÅ«r): Zakah should remain local.
    • Based on Hadith: “Taken from their rich and returned to their poor.”
  • Opinion of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and others (adopted in fatwa):
    It is permissible to transfer zakah:
    • If the local poor are already cared for, or
    • If there’s a greater need or calamity elsewhere.

📌 Example:
Places suffering major crises (e.g., Yemen, Sudan) may be more deserving in urgent times, even if the donor resides in Canada or elsewhere.

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