At-Tawbah 60: Alms (obligatory ones - Zakah) are an obligation from Allah to be given to the needy, the weak, to officers (who collect the alms), to those whose hearts will be brought closer (to Islam), to slaves (who try to gain their freedom), to those who struggle and fight on the path of Allah and to the wayfarer. Allah is Aleem (All-knowing) and Hakeem (All-Wise).

Yes.

Allah Almighty sends His verses to people so that they may find peace and live at ease, that is why He sends them. Putting people in hardship, putting both their feet in one shoe, loading on their backs a burden people cannot bear – in His verses there are no such notions. Because Allah loves His servants very much. So people who interpret the verses as they see fit will, of course, with their short minds, sink into many errors and get caught up in difficulties.

In verse 60 of Surah At-Tawbah, alms and zakat are spoken of. To whom is zakat given?

To the poor, to the stranded traveller, to the needy, it is given to those in need.

Zakat is not given to charitable institutions.

Yes. Zakat is not given to a charitable institution. Zakat is the sustenance that individuals receive. For charitable causes – for example, building a mosque, for example, places like Quran courses – one does good works there. Zakat is not given. To children studying in Quran courses, if there are poor ones among them, if they have reached maturity, it is given into their hands. It is given into the child's own hand. The zakat. Or, if he is not mature and cannot handle money, to his guardian it is given. If he has no guardian, it is given to his teacher. Yes. That is the situation. But truly, people who do not want to be bound by the ruling, who in Ramadan collect zakat for mosques and Quran courses, are not doing right.

Zakat is given to persons. Teachers who collect it for a Quran course – only if they become guarantors for the poor among the children, if they become their guarantors so as to give it to the poor children, and if those children are truly in need, and the child cannot handle the money, then it is given to him. It is given to him. In that case, if people had done their good works in the right place, not shunning good works, and acted to give their zakat in full – if people gave their zakat in full, among Muslims there would remain no people with a low standard of social life. Plus, I want to stress this: a person may be worth trillions. But he has gone bankrupt.

He is in debt.

Because this man owns a business, he is still working in an enterprise with a very good income. A very good income. He is trying to pay his debts, but those he owes are pressing him. The man cannot pay those he owes. So they even have the money he receives seized. Or they treat the man badly, they swear at him. And the man cannot pay; he really does earn, but he simply cannot keep up. Zakat is given to such a man too. Yes. (?) so that he is given ease in paying. Zakat is given to such men too. "No, sir, his income is good." "No, sir, it's like this, it's like that" – his income is good, but they are pressing the man, they insult him, they put (?) on his salary, the man cannot stay anywhere, from here to there, from here to there he goes.

He runs away – he is forced to run away. He is an honourable man who wants to pay his money. But they give the man no chance. In such cases zakat is given to such people. Yes.

Alms and zakat, as an obligation from Allah, are only for the poor, the destitute, the officials who collect zakat – when we say officials who collect zakat, those in need – what? State officials who are in need; the officials who collect zakat are the officials of the Bayt al-Mal. Here the Bayt al-Mal is the state. To the state's (?), its officials, to debtors – people who shopped with credit cards and go as far as suicide. Yes.

To those whose hearts are to be warmed to Islam, that is, to non-Muslims near you – to warm them to Islam; they are poor too, in need; if you give him a little too, his heart (?) to Islam. We cannot know; perhaps becoming Muslim is in his nature, (?). And so we will have been a cause. Allah Almighty knows, we do not know, but He shows us the way. What does it say? To those whose hearts are to be warmed to Islam.

To slaves trying to buy their freedom – they have been wronged. In his homeland his father may even be worth trillions. But he cannot reach his father.

He himself has been enslaved. His trace has been lost. Such people want to gain their freedom. To such people, to debtors – the man has a debt that he cannot pay. And he is being pressed. Even if his income is good, to help pay the debts, these people are helped. To debtors, to those who work and strive in jihad in the way of Allah. They work in the way of Allah. Now, when it says those who strive – those who work and strive in the way of Allah, who have devoted themselves to the religion, who teach children, who have no income. That is, he gives Quran lessons and the man has no income. He has given himself to Allah.

He works and strives in this matter. To teach something (?). To those who strive, he sets out on the road. He goes to jihad. He goes to help his brother in Islam. For these. It is set aside for the traveller. He is stranded on the road. Even if the man is worth trillions, as I said just now. He is stranded on the road. He cannot reach his money and means. At that moment he is in distress. Zakat is given to this man. When he goes back to his homeland, when he gets his money, the zakat he received, together with his own zakat, he gives as charity to the poor and needy. Yes. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.

Of course Allah Almighty knows very well and is wise; the one who knows best why He says what He says is Allah Almighty.

For Muslims, giving zakat is obligatory. And Allah Almighty declares to whom these obligations are to be given. Only to the poor, that is, those who are poor and in need, to the destitute – these are the elderly, worn out, unable to manage their own affairs, so far aged people; to the officials who collect zakat – these give the (?) zakat to the state. They add it to the Bayt al-Mal. And from there they distribute it to those in need. To those whose hearts are to be warmed to Islam – that is, to non-Muslims, to those hesitant to enter Islam – if such help is given, they too, in the face of Islam's beautiful morals and mutual aid, of people opening their arms to one another, admiring the religion of Islam, may become Muslim.

And in this way they will have been helped toward finding the truth. Allah knows, we do not know. Perhaps in people's nature there is becoming Muslim. But a person, in the swamp of unbelief, may live. Since he will return to his origin in the end, this becomes a cause (?). To slaves who would buy their freedom – in Islam there is no slavery. Some people who do not know themselves engaged in human trafficking. They gathered up people in Africa. They sold these people for money to be put to work. That is how slavery came about.

Of course Allah created every person free, free within his own will. Every person has his own nature by which he will (?) himself toward Allah Almighty. So for people to be able to gain their freedom, our helping them with this zakat money is, according to this verse, obligatory upon Islam. Yes.

Zakat is also given to debtors. A person has a debt. He has no money to pay. The time for the debtor to pay has come, or it has passed. The person has not been able to pay his debt. By giving zakat to people like this, they are freed from their debts. To those who work in the way of Allah – people who have devoted their lives to Allah, who work for the religion of Islam and want to build up the servants of Allah – to provide for their livelihood, zakat is given to them too. Yes, to those who strive in jihad – they too, in the way of Allah, according to the verse "spread Allah's justice on earth", for those who are wronged – that is, taking their place beside the oppressed, those who strive; to travellers – a person may be very rich. Something has happened to him; he has dropped his money or had it stolen.

So that they can travel in comfort and safety to where they need to reach, zakat is given to them too. Also, to people who have no money left to go from one place to another, who are stranded, helpless, zakat is given. Surely Allah is All-Knowing. He is wise in every ruling of His.