Ethica Institute of Islamic Finance™

Is it permissible for zakat collectors to deduct wages and other expenses from zakat itself?

In modern times, when no Islamic state exists, it is impermissible for zakat collectors to deduct wages and administrative expenses from the zakat itself for the service of distributing zakat among recipients;

it is a condition for the validity of a zakat collector to deduct wages that the zakat recipient appoint the zakat collector to act as an agent on behalf of the recipient; in an Islamic state, the head of the state is obligated to act on behalf of zakat recipients by appointing zakat collecting agents, so zakat collectors are effectively appointed by the recipients in an Islamic state; but in a modern state, zakat collectors act on behalf of zakat givers, not zakat recipients, so it would be impermissible for a zakat collector to deduct wages and administrative expenses from the zakat.

It is permissible, however, for zakat collectors to take charity, not zakat, to cover wages and administrative expenses related to zakat collection.

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