Those who said: zakah is paid to the ruler

It is narrated from Suhayl that his father asked Sayyiduna Sa'd, Sayyiduna Ibn Umar, Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah and Sayyiduna Abu Sa'id (may Allah be pleased with them): I have wealth and I want to pay its zakah, but I do not find a place where I can pay it, and you know what these people do with it. What is your opinion? All of them ordered me to pay it to them.

Nafi' said: Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Pay the zakah of your wealth to those whom Allah Almighty has placed in charge (as rulers) of your affairs. Whoever does good, its reward is for himself, and whoever does wrong, its burden is upon himself.

Qaza'ah said: I said to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both): I have wealth; to whom should I pay its zakah? He said: To these people, meaning the rulers (the kings). I said: Then they will make clothes and perfume out of it (and use it themselves). He said: Even if they make clothes and perfume out of it. O Qaza'ah, there is a right on your wealth besides zakah.

Al-Hakam bin al-A'raj said: I asked Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) (about this). He said: Give it to them, even if they eat dog meat with it. When people asked him the same question again, he said: Give it to them.

Nu'aym bin Mujalid said: I asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) about it. He said: Pay it to them (the rulers), even if they eat delicacies with it. (Al-bishbarajat: what is served to a guest before the meal.)

Dawud bin Abi Asim said: Sayyiduna al-Mughirah bin Shu'bah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to send his zakah to the rulers (the kings).

It is narrated from Yahya bin Abi Kathir that Sayyiduna Hudhayfah (may Allah be pleased with him), Sa'id and Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) held that zakah should be paid to the rulers.

Muhammad said: Zakah used to be given to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and to whomever he had ordered to collect it; then to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and to whomever he had ordered; then to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and to whomever he had ordered; then to Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) and to whomever he had ordered. When Sayyiduna Uthman was martyred, the people differed among themselves. Some held that it should still be given to them (the rulers), and some held that one should distribute it oneself. Muhammad said: Those who choose to distribute zakah themselves should fear Allah Almighty, and should not find fault with them over something and then do the like of what they find fault with them for.

Harithah bin Abi al-Rijal said: I asked Amrah about paying zakah. She replied that Sayyidah Aishah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to say: Pay zakah to your rulers.

Abdullah bin Habib said: I asked Abu Ja'far about zakah: should it be paid to the rulers? He said: Yes, it should be paid to the rulers.

Al-Hasan said: Four things are the right of the rulers: prayer (leading it), zakah, (establishing) the hudud punishments, and judging.

Al-Hasan said: These people (the rulers) have been made responsible for four things: prayer, zakah, the hudud punishments and judgement.

Abu Qilabah was asked about zakah. He said: Pay it to the ruler. It was said: They do such-and-such with it, and such-and-such (saying it twice). He said: Are you able to place it in its proper places? They said: No. He said: Then pay it to them.

It is narrated from Khaythamah that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said: Give it to the rulers as long as they pray.

He said: And Khaythamah said: As long as they pray the prayer at its proper time.

Muslim bin Yasar said about the verse of the Qur'an "And establish prayer and give zakah": This obligation pertains to the ruler.

Al-Zuhri held that zakah should be given to the ruler.

It is narrated from Abd al-Rahman bin al-Baylamani that among the counsel which Sayyiduna Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) gave to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was this: Whoever pays zakah to anyone other than the rulers, his zakah and his charity will not be accepted from him, even if he gives the whole world in charity.

Mujahid and Ata said: Pay the zakah of your wealth to the ruler.

Sayyiduna Abu Hurayrah and Sayyiduna Ibn Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) said: Pay the zakah of your wealth to the ruler.