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

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 (jumhur): Zakah should remain local.
    • Based on Hadith: “Taken from their rich and returned to their poor.”
  • Opinion of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah and others (adopted in fatwa in modern Fiqh committees):
    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 may be more deserving in urgent times, even if the donor resides in Canada or elsewhere.

Allah knows best

Answered by:
Dr. Mahmoud A. Omar
Islamic Jurist and Mufti
Al-Azhar Fatwa Council Member

Methodology:
This fatwa is based on the Qur’an, the Sunnah, and the established principles of Islamic jurisprudence (Usool), with consideration of contemporary circumstances.

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