Zakat Funds on Libraries or Institutions: Islamic Ruling
Source: Fatāwā Rāshidiyyah, Page 399
❖ Question
Can Zakat funds be given to an institution or library from which one also personally benefits?
❖ Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu was-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, Ammā Baʿd!
The Qur’an itself has defined the specific categories where Zakat may be spent. A library is not included in these categories; therefore, Zakat cannot be spent on a library.
Although the Qur’an mentions eight categories of Zakat recipients, one of them being “fī sabīlillāh”, one might think that a religious library falls under it. However, the correct interpretation is that “fī sabīlillāh” is not a general but a specific term.
If it were taken in its general sense, then the mention of the other seven categories would become redundant, because:
◄ Fuqarāʾ (poor)
◄ Masākīn (needy)
◄ ʿĀmilīn ʿalayhā (those employed to collect Zakat)
◄ Muʾallafatu qulūbuhum (those whose hearts are to be reconciled)
◄ Riqāb (slaves seeking freedom)
◄ Ibn al-Sabīl (traveler in need)
◄ Ghārimīn (debtors)
— all of these could have been included under “fī sabīlillāh.” This shows the term is specific and not general.
❖ Meaning of Fī Sabīlillāh
According to Qur’anic usage, as explained by Mawlānā Azād رحمه الله and other researchers:
◈ All actions that directly serve the protection and strengthening of religion fall under fī sabīlillāh.
◈ The foremost among these is defense of the faith. Hence, the term primarily applies to this.
◈ If at any time defense becomes necessary, the ruler may allocate Zakat funds to this cause.
◈ Otherwise, broader religious and communal interests may also be included, such as:
✿ Publication and propagation of Qur’an and Islamic knowledge
✿ Establishment of madāris (Islamic schools)
✿ Preparation and dispatch of daʿīs (callers to Islam)
✿ Other beneficial means of guidance for the Muslim Ummah
Some jurists and commentators expanded fī sabīlillāh to include:
❀ Mosque construction
❀ Digging wells
— but this interpretation seems too broad. Nevertheless, if a scholar insists on it, this opinion also has precedence, as a group of scholars has held it.
❖ Supplementary Clarification
After reviewing the statements of various commentators and researchers, it is evident that:
◈ Fī sabīlillāh does not mean only jihad or armed struggle.
◈ It encompasses all efforts for the propagation, defense, and elevation of Allah’s religion.
This includes:
➊ Fighting in Allah’s cause and providing necessary weapons, logistics, and support.
➋ Sending and supporting preachers of Islam.
➌ Covering their travel expenses and necessities.
➍ Publishing religious journals and books.
➎ Establishing madāris and serving them, as these institutions prepare defenders and propagators of Islam.
Thus, all these fall under fī sabīlillāh.
❖ Ruling on Libraries
Since a library does not fall under any of these categories, it is not included in the meaning of fī sabīlillāh.
If the intent of fī sabīlillāh was general, Allah would have mentioned only that, without enumerating eight categories. This proves that it is a specific allocation, as clarified by the scholars.
And Allah knows best.
Hādhā mā ʿindī, wallāhu aʿlam bi-ṣ-ṣawāb.
