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Sending Fidyah Money to Poor Countries: Allowed?

28 June, 2016
Q As-salamu `alaykum. Since living in North America, we hardly find poor people in this country. There are welfare organizations and etc. My question is: if a sister could not fast during this month of Ramadan, can she donate the money in terms of fidyah to countries such as India, Pakistan or Africa.

Answer

Wa `alaykum as-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

Dear sister in Islam, thank you for your question; we ask Almighty Allah to let us all reap the benefits and lessons of fasting and to maintain doing good deeds after Ramadan.

As for your question, in case you cannot find poor people to pay them fidyah, you can seek the help of friends, the imam of a nearby Islamic center, or charitable societies whose guidance you can seek to distribute your fidyah, zakah, etc.

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In his response to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states,

It is not correct at all to say that we do not have poor people in Canada or the United States. If you look around carefully, you will definitely find a lot of them. In case you do not know anyone of them personally, perhaps you should ask those who are in the field of social services; they can give you the right contacts. Many people make use of the services of agencies such as Muslim Welfare and Food Bank; it may be a good idea to get in touch with such agencies.

In case you are still not sure, then of course you send money overseas to help those who are in greater need. The Islamic Circle of North America (ICNA) and the Human Concern International (HCI) have services to help distribute Zakah and fidyah to needy people in a number of countries. So discharge your obligation immediately before it is too late. May Allah help us all to reap the blessings of Ramadan in full measure, amen.

Allah Almighty knows best.

Excerpted, with slight modifications, from www.islam.ca