As salaamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatu.

Dear Shaykh Hatem and Respected AMJA Fatwa Committee Scholars,

I pray that you are doing well by the grace of Allah SWT, and am writing to you about our organization, MUHSEN, which was founded back in 2014. Our Muhsen Organization is requesting from you a statement to let donors and supporters know about our zakat eligibility status.

We are kindly requesting that you help us out and provide a fatwa about how MUHSEN is zakat eligible. We would like to formalize this with your assistance and with an external, reputable statement from AMJA, in shaa’ Allah.

Itemized Muhsen Programs and Services: All programs and services provided by Muhsen are for individuals and families of those with disabilities (including physical, cognitive, mental, and social) in the category of “Masakeen” – in need of assistance in so many ways.

Can you confirm this status, so that our community may know that these are Zakat eligible activities?

• Traditional financial help given for rent payments, food, medical treatments and bills, accessible transportation for individuals with disabilities
• Masjid certification programs to provide access to the disabled and inclusion in the community, because masjid accessibility is their right
• Islamic education, weekend classes for people with disabilities: one-on-one education, instruction, and materials to teach them
• Qur’an in Braille provided to the blind upon request
• American Sign Language (ASL) interpreters provided to the deaf for khutbahs, classes, courses, conferences, etc.
• Umrah 1:1 (individualized) services for guests with disabilities and their families, caregiving, and individual support in Makkah and Madinah
• Support groups to provide professional counseling (mental, emotional support) to those with disabilities and their caregivers
• Awareness and educational sensitivity workshops and training for the community at large to educate about people with disabilities and their inclusion and care

There is so much more, but here we have briefly listed major services of the organization, so please let us know if anything else is needed.

We truly appreciate your help in this matter and will wait to hear from you all, in shaa’ Allah,

Jazak Allah Khair in advance.

In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Grantor of Mercy

All praise is due to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah.

The activities of this organization are all from the actions of good and are forms of benevolence. We applaud, support, and pray for success for them.

As for the matter of zakat, it has specific recipients, and so it is not allowed to go beyond them. Specifically, the activities of the organization that can be financed from zakatable wealth are those that spend on people with special needs that are deserving (of zakat) due to their poverty. Among its activities which a group of scholars allowed zakat wealth on are those which are in the category of da’wah (striving in calling people to Islam), such as printing Qur’ans for the blind, making translation services available for the deaf, and all of the educational programs that teach Islam.

Based on this, it is permissible for the organization to receive zakat wealth and then spend it upon the recipients previously mentioned, and to only use zakat wealth for agreed-upon recipients of zakat, such as those mentioned in the first section of this fatwa. If the organization is in need of using some of it for da’wah activities, there is no problem in doing so, because as mentioned, some scholars have allowed this. We recommend encouraging Muslims to support this organization with donations so that it may have the capacity to perform its noble role.

Allah knows best.

May peace and blessings be upon Muhammad and his family, and all praise belongs to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.