Question: O Sheikh, may Allah grant you success, the questioner says: Is paying Zakah to the Zakah committees that have been authorised by the state to collect

Sheikh Salih Al-Fawzan hafidhahullah: Yes! They are the deputies of the ruler. If the ruler has authorised for them to collect Zakat from the people, then they are acting as their deputies, so it should be paid to them. Furthermore, Zakah should not be payed to these Jam'iyyaat which they refer to as 'Charitable' [organisations] - and Allah knows best. It should not be payed to them, because it's not know where it goes and where it is spent. Perhaps it is accumulated and collected without being distributed. It is an obligation that is binding upon you, and this responsibility is not uplifted until it reaches the poor, whether you distribute it yourself or you appoint someone to do it on your behalf. Yes! Zakah is a matter that one must be very cautious with; because it is one of the pillars of Islam. Yes!