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.
In this fatwa:
No, Zakah cannot be used for Iftar meals because its recipients are clearly specified in the Quran (At-Tawbah 9:60). While feeding the poor is highly rewarded in Islam, Iftar meals should be funded through Sadaqah or voluntary donations rather than Zakah.
In responding to your question, Dr. Ahmad Yusuf Sulaiman, Professor of Shariah at the Faculty of Darul al-Ulum, Cairo University, states:
The Broader Scope of Charity in Islam
There are various ways of charity other than Zakah, which Allah Almighty summarizes in this verse,
โIt is not righteousness that you turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believes in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and give his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observe proper worship and pay the poor due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God-fearing.โ (Al-Baqarah 2:177)
The Virtues of Feeding Others in Islam
In addition, Allah Almighty praises the people who โgive food, in spite of their love for it (or for the love of Him), to the poor, the orphan, and the captiveโ (Al-Insan 76:8)
Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) also mentioned that among the best acts of a Muslim is that he feeds people, spreads greetings, and performs prayer at night while people are asleep.
This applies to Ramadan or any other month, but the reward of charity and providing iftar to fasting people in Ramadan is multiplied, as the reward of good deeds is greatly multiplied in Ramadan.
Prophet Muhammad said, โWhoever offers the fasting person iftar shall receive the same reward without diminishing his (the fasting personโs) reward at allโ (At-Tirmidhi)
The Prophet said, โAngels remain praying for the fasting person when people come and eat iftar at his house until they finish,โ or perhaps he said, โโฆ until they are fullโ (At-Tirmidhi)
It is also taken after the Prophet to say an invocation to the giver of food, as he said after eating an iftar meal of bread and oil at Sad ibn Muadhโs house, โMay fasting people eat iftar at your house; may pious people eat your food; and may angels pray for youโ (Abu Dawud)
The Concept of Public Iftar Meals
The preparation of iftar tables, which people in countries like Egypt call โMawaโid Ar-Rahmanโ (Meals of the Compassionate, which are meals prepared by the rich in streets for fasting people), should be from charity and donations.
Why Zakah Should Not Be Used for Iftar Meals
It is impermissible to spend Zakah money on them because the channels of Zakah are specified in this verse, โThe alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarers.โ (At-Tawbah 9:60)
Zakah is considered a right for the poor, the needy, and others. But food is given to the needy as well as to others. We have explained that there is money to be paid other than Zakah, and the preparation of iftar tables should be from this money.
For extended guidance, review the fatwas below:
- Whatโs the Difference Between Zakah and Charity?
- Taxes and Zakah: Any Difference?
- Can I Pay Zakah Monthly?
- What to Do If You Never Paid Zakah
- How to Pay Delayed Zakah
- Collecting Zakah for a Needy Relative: OK?
- Can You Give Zakah to Build a Mosque?
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editorโs note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholarโs archive and was originally published at an earlier date.
