For Those Interested In The Maliki Perspective on Zakat al-Fitr
My recent post and series on Youtube attracted some inquiries from good brothers who follow the Maliki school. I am not a reference in the school, so I thought it best to provide an answer to this question from the Libyan scholar, and my teacher: Dr. Isam al-Sari. I abridged it slightly for clarity and organized it to ease retention.
A Tradition Of Objectives
“Early Malikis, traditionally known for advocating the disbursement of food in Zakat al-Fitr, would likely support cash donations if they were present today. This shift is due to the evolving needs of the underserved, where cash now offers broader benefits and is more practical for both the giver and receiver.
Opinions Within The School
A number of Maliki scholars have openly supported the option of cash disbursement in Zakat al-Fitr, including:
• Ibn al-Qasim in “Al-Utbiah”
• Ashhab
• Asbagh
• Ibn Abi Hazm
• Ibn Dinar
Later figures such as Al-Nafrawi and Al-Sawi have further acknowledged the sufficiency of giving cash over grains, establishing it as a notable view within the school. This practice has been widely accepted in Muslim countries for years without dispute, indicating a shift in legal rationale, with cash disbursement now often preferred to food.
Critically, associating the Maliki stance solely with food, without considering the broader objective of meeting the underserved’s needs, deviates from juristic practice. This approach overlooks several key issues:
1. The primary legal goal is unmet if the underserved’s needs are not addressed by food.
2. It disregards the legal outcomes where the underserved may need to sell the zakat given food to obtain cash.
3. It neglects the superior legal benefit of cash disbursement over the minimal benefit of food distribution.
4. As stated by jurists, wherever there is benefit, there is the law of Allah.
Imam Al-Qarafi warned that strict adherence to past rulings without considering the objectives of Muslims and the practices of predecessors is misguidance.”
Maliki’s Across the Globe (added by Suhaib)
This viewpoint is not unique to the Libyan Fatwa Department; Dr. Islam is sharing that opinion, but is also shared by:
• The Tunisian Fatwa Department (Maliki)
• Grand Mufti of Egypt, Sheikh Shawki Allam, who is Maliki
• Algerian Ministry of Religious Affairs and Endowments (Maliki)
• UAE’s Fatwa Council (Maliki)
• Islamic Fiqh Academy in Khartoum (Maliki)
• Supreme Scientific Council in the Kingdom of Morocco (Maliki)
All these institutions follow the Maliki school of thought, demonstrating a broad consensus on the matter across various countries and Islamic bodies.
Allah knows,
Suhaib Webb
.