Can a Wakil Spend Sadaqah Wajibah on Himself?
بِسْمِ اللہِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
Is a Wakīl Allowed to Spend the Sadaqah Wājibah on Himself?
Darulifta Ahlesunnat (Dawateislami)
Question
What do the noble scholars and jurists of Islamic law say about the following: A person made a vow (mannat) that upon the completion of their task, they will donate a certain amount in the path of Allah. When the task was completed, he gave the money to his friend so that he could give it to an eligible and deserving person. If the person appointed to give the money is himself a sharʿī faqīr, can he use the money for himself?
Answer
In the inquired situation, it is not permissible for the sharʿī faqīr wakīl [i.e. authorized representative] to spend the money of the mannat [i.e. vowed offering] on himself because a person who is appointed as a wakīl to distribute a sadaqah wājibah (e.g., zakāh, sadaqah al-fitr, kaffarah of oath, etc.) is not permitted to use the money for his personal needs even if he himself is a sharʿī faqīr. The reason for this is that the money is a trust (amānah) in his possession, and he is required to spend it according to the instructions of the muʾakil (the one who gave the money). However, if the muʾakil gives him general permission and authority to spend it wherever he deems appropriate, in this case, the wakīl may use the money for his personal needs provided that he is a sharʿī faqīr.
The masraf for the money of a mannat are the same as those eligible of zakāh and sadaqah al-fitr. Thus, it is stated in Radd al-Muḥtār ʿAlā al-Durr al-Mukhtār:
(مصرف الزكاة والعشر) مصرف ايضا لصدقة الفطر والكفارة والنذر وغير ذلك من الصدقات الواجبة
(Radd al-Muḥtār Maʿa al-Durr al-Mukhtār, Vol. 03, Chapter of eligible recipients, p. 333, Publ. Quetta)
Muftī Jalāl-Uddīn Amjadī رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه (d. 1422 AH/2001 CE) states:
صدقۂ واجبہ، مثلاًکسی نے نذرمانی کہ میرا لڑکا تندرست ہوگیا ، تو میں اتنا مال اللہ کے راستے میں خرچ کروں گا، تو اس ما ل کے مصارف وہی ہیں جو زکوۃ وصدقۂ فطر کے مصارف ہیں۔
Translation: Sadaqah wājibah, such as if someone made a vow that “if my son gets cured, I will spend in the path of Allāh”, the masraf (eligible recipient) of that wealth is the one who is eligible for zakāh and sadaqah al-fitr. (Fatāwā Faiz-Ur-Rasool, Vol. 01, p. 500, Publ. Shabīr Brothers, Lahore)
The wealth that a wakīl holds is considered an amānah, as stated in Bahār-e-Sharīʿat:
وکیل یا مضارب کو جو مال دیا جاتا ہے وہ امانت ہے۔
Translation: The wealth given to a wakīl and a mudārib (working partner) is an amānah. (Bahār-e-Sharīʿat, Vol. 03, pt. 17, p. 711, Publ. Maktaba-Tul-Madinah, Karachi)
The wakīl must spend the money according to the instructions of the muʾakil, as written by Malik al-ʿŪlamāʾ, ʿAllāmah Kāsānī Hanafī (d. 587 AH/ 1191 CE) رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه:
الوكيل يتصرف بولاية مستفادة من قبل الموكل فيملك قدر ما افاده ولا يثبت العموم الا بلفظ يدل عليه وهو قوله: اعمل فيه برايك وغير ذلك مما يدل على العموم
(Badāʾiʿ al-Sanāʾiʿ, Book of Wakalah, Vol. 06, p. 28, Publ. Dār al-Kutub al-ʿIlmiyah, Beirut)
Regarding a wakīl of sadaqah wājibah spending that wealth on himself, it is stated in Fatāwā Shāmī, al-Baḥr al-Rāʾiq, and other books of fiqh as follows:
في الظهيرية: رجل دفع زكاة ماله الى رجل وامره بالاداء فاعطى الوكيل ولد نفسه الكبير او الصغيراو امراته وهم محاويج جاز ولا يمسك لنفسه شيئا ولو ان صاحب المال قال له: ضعه حيث شئت له ان يمسك لنفسه
(Al-Baḥr al-Rāʾiq, Book of Zakāh, Vol. 02, p. 263, Publ. Dār al-Kitab al-Islāmi)
Aʿlā Ḥazrat, the Imām of Ahl as-Sunnah, Imām Aḥmad Razā Khān رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه (d. 1340 AH/ 1921 CE) was asked:
زید نے بکر کو کچھ دیا اور کہا اس کو مساکین کوجہاں مناسب سمجھو دے دیجیو ، اگر زید خود اس کا مصرف ہو، اپنے اوپر اس کو صرف کر سکتا ہے یا نہیں ؟
Translation: Zaid gave Bakr something and said: “give it to the masākīn wherever you think is appropriate.” So, if Zaid is eligible, can he spend it on himself or not?
To which he answered:
جس کے مالک نے اُسے اذنِ مطلق دیا کہ جہاں مناسب سمجھو، دو، تو اسے اپنے نفس پر بھی صرف کرنے کا اختیار حاصل ہے، جبکہ یہ اس کا مصرف ہو۔ ہاں! اگر یہ لفظ نہ کہے جاتے، اُسے اپنے نفس پر صَرف کرنا ، جائز نہ ہوتا، مگر اپنی یا اولاد کودے دینا جب بھی جائز ہوتا، اگر وُہ مصرف تھے۔
Translation: When the owner gives general permission to spend it wherever one finds it appropriate, he can also spend it on himself, given that he is eligible. However, if these words were not said, it would not be permissible for him to spend it on himself, but it would be permissible for him to give it to his children if they were eligible. (Fatāwā Razawiyah, Vol. 10, p. 158, Publ. Razā Foundation, Lahore)
Sadr al-Sharīʿah Muftī Muḥammad Amjad ʿAlī Aʿzami رحمة اللہ تعالى عليه (d. 1367 AH/1947 CE) writes:
وکیل کو یہ اختیار نہیں کہ خود لے لے، ہاں اگر زکاۃ دینے والے نے یہ کہہ دیا ہو کہ جس جگہ چاہو صرف کرو، تو لے سکتا ہے۔
Translation: A wakīl does not have permission to take it himself. However, if the one paying the zakāh said, “spend it wherever you want”, then he may take it. (Bahār-e-Sharīʿat, Vol. 01, pt. 5, p. 888, Publ. Maktaba-Tul-Madinah, Karachi)
وَ اللہُ اَعْلَمُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ وَ رَسُوْلُہ اَعْلَم صَلَّی اللہُ تَعَالٰی عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِہٖ وَ سَلَّم
(Allah Almighty knows best and His Messenger صَلَّی اللہُ عَلَیْہِ وَ اٰلِهٖ وَسَلَّم knows best.)
Answered By: Mufti Muhammad Qasim Attari
Ref No: FSD-9577
Date: 29th Rabīʿ al-Ākhir 1447 AH/ 23rd October 2025