Question About Zakat

[hisnameiszzz]

Salaams all.

I fully intend to ask a Mufti about the following but I just wanted to hear your thoughts on my little dilemma.

Each year, people from all over the world come knocking on our doors collecting Zakat/Lillah/Sadaqah. They even provide documents to show who they are collecting for with photos of orphanages/childrens homes/hospitals etc. They also have a receipt book which to me, showed they were genuine. The people who come to collect all have beards and are wearing shalwaar kameez etc like a proper Muslim person would look and dress like. I normally give a fair chunk of my Zakat to these collectors as orphanages have always been close to my heart.

This year, my local Masjid and the Council have changed their policy. Each collector must get a document both from the local Masjid and the Council to prove their authenticity. This has been done to combat fraud because a lot of people who to come to collect, pocket the money.

Weirdly enough, none of the 30 odd regular collectors that come every year have turned up. These are both local people who come to collect for their villages in India/Pakistan, and people who travel from India/Pakistan/other places around the world every year. Obviously, some of these people may not have come because they are no longer collecting or they have not come to the UK from abroad. However, this cannot be the case for all the regulars. There have been some people that have come to collect, but there is an Uncle who lives opposite me who is on the ball and asks for their documentation proof. If they cannot provide it, he sends them packing.

My question is: if some/all of the people I gave Zakat to last year and in previous years were not genuine and were just putting on a good act with photos/paperwork etc, would I have to research this and then pay the Zakat again or would I be let off because it was a genuine mistake. I was just discussing it with my Mom today and I am absolutely petrified if I have been scammed.

Could one of you kind people maybe advise me?

[hisnameiszzz]

Some clarification.

1. It probably sounds like I am casting aspersions, but it's just strange that not a single one of the collectors has turned up this year. Normally they all come in the first week. They might all be off sick or they might all have stopped collecting for all I know. I was just throwing this open in case they had been "scamming" people.

2. All the people in my street and opposite street used to donate to the regulars that came every year, so it was not just me that was donating.

[M.I.A.]

a few of the actual mosques in my area and surrounding have been caught with discrepancies in there own finances and paperwork...

so your probably right to question the legitimacy of those zaqat collectors.

i get a few coming to my place of work, about 3-4...actually more like 6-7 in the last week, and oddly even some sikh collectors that say allah swt will reward you for giving.

unfortunately im a soft touch and the harshest they hear from me is when i have no money on me.


iv read a hadith that says somethingi along the lines of, if you open the doors to begging then allah swt will open the doors of poverty for you..

its a very strange concept when islam is a religion of charity, something to think about until you can make correct investments..


although what a correct investment is... is your own choosing.

[greenhill]

Salaams.

The question you will be asked is what you have done with the blessings Allah has loaned to you? As long as you are charitable about it you have done your duty. The question does not become whether the person seeking sadaqah is genuine or not. That is not your concern, really.

Peace to you and remain charitable.

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[hisnameiszzz]

Thanks MIA and Greenhill for your responses.

I emailed a Mufti this morning and will see what his responses are. I am not 100% sure but before giving Zakat, I am sure it's the donors responsibility to check if the collector is genuine or not.

I am always on top of my Zakat and that is definitely one of the five pillars of Islam, I follow the best. But this has thrown a spanner in the works for me. I genuinely thought that if they had the paperwork/dressed like Muslims and everyone else donated too, that they would be genuine. If the Mufti says it's not been accepted and I have to re-donate the Zakat, then I will. It's only Allah's money at the end of the day which he has given to me, so it's all good.

Have a good day all.

[greenhill]

It is not a 'responsibility' of the donor to find out about the truth of the cause. It is his responsibility to be sincere in his donation. Perhaps, if we want to be careful we should check the background but that is our excuse for perhaps not giving.

We ought to remember in the days of old, there were no verification papers and stuff as is common now. The donation and collection was done very much the same way except nowadays, many more are trying their luck.

Peace

[Chase]

iv read a hadith that says somethingi along the lines of, if you open the doors to begging then allah swt will open the doors of poverty for you..

Could you explain more about this Hadith or provide a link for it, I'm really interested in this matter because in Islam a Sadaqah is an important thing, and if Allah gave your wealth so who are you to deny it for someone else when they come knocking on your door asking for some money or food.

[hisnameiszzz]

Salaams all.

I've had a response from the Mufti. With regards to the collectors who came last year and not this year, as long as I asked them for some kind of proof / identification such as photos of the orphanage / paperwork / report from last year, then my Zakat would be accepted. Even if they were fraudulent, as long as I asked for the proof, my Zakat would have been accepted.

Phew! I thought I would have had to cough up £££ from the last few years!

Jazakallah all for your very helpful responses.