Paying Zakah al-Fitr to needy
Fatwa No: 83535

Question

I am an Indian living in Qatar. I heard different opinion about Fitr Zakah one is we should pay Zakah here in Qatar. But it is difficult to find needy people here. The other opinion that if there is no needy people here we can sent to needy people to India or any other parts of world. Is it compulsory to pay Zakah where we are living or can we sent to homeland? Expecting detailed reply.

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the World; and blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.
The Sunnah is to distribute the Fitr Zakah among the needy Muslims in the country where the person who is giving Zakah lives at the moment. If there are no needy people in that country or the person knows Muslims in other places who are more needy and much poorer then there is no harm to send the Zakah to that country.
Allah knows best.

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