Question:
I reside in Mangalam village, Tiruppur district. In the JAQ mosque here, which is associated with an organization called JAQ, under the scheme “No Hunger, Provide Food,” every month, they distribute necessary rice and grocery items to poor and needy families living in this area. Whether it is permissible to give my Zakat money to the aforementioned scheme.?
Answer:
That is, generally speaking, beyond the matter of giving Zakat, the best expenditure a human make is for food. There is no charity equivalent to feeding the hungry. Furthermore, if a person neglects such work, Allahﷻ will cast him into Hell for it.
It is said that when the people of Hell are thrown into Hell, they will talk among themselves. How will they talk? When asked, why did you come to this Hell?” the inhabitants will reply, “O Malik (keeper of Hell), we were not among those who prayed, and we did not feed the poor.” Allahﷻ combines these two. So, for not feeding the poor, Allahﷻ will cast them into Hell. If you knew there were poor people and you did not help them, you may have to go to Hell for that miserliness.
Secondly, regarding reward: Charity brings reward, and not giving can lead to punishment. This is a matter that Allahﷻ emphasizes. Similarly, when Allahﷻ speaks about the righteous in Surah Al-Insan (Chapter 76), verses 7 to 10, He describes who the righteous are. They fulfill their vows, fear a day whose evil is widespread (the Day of Judgment), and they give food, despite their love for it, to the poor, the orphan, and the captive. They say, “We feed you only for the sake of Allahﷻ’s pleasure. We seek from you neither reward nor gratitude. We fear from our Lord a stern, distressful day.” This is the character of the righteous. So, what is the characteristic of the righteous? It includes feeding others. Why do they feed? Allahﷻ indicates they feed because they desire what Allahﷻ desires and to prevent His punishment. Therefore, freely give food for this purpose. Whether it is Zakat or not, even if non-Muslims ask, you may give.
If an organization claims to feed the poor monthly, they will be giving to the poor. Ensure they are doing it correctly. Many groups with such names may not be perfect, but if they are, you can do it. Otherwise, you can do it directly yourself. A man came to Prophetﷺ and asked, “Which deed in Islam is best?” Everything in Islam is good, but he asked for the best. Prophetﷺ said, “Feeding food is the best deed.”
When asked about greeting those you know and those you don’t, that is also excellent. This is found in Bukhari, Hadith 12, 28, and many other places. So, if they are doing this monthly to feed the poor, and they ask for assistance, you may give from your Zakat and also from your surplus. There is no harm. If they ask for Zakat, you may give. If others ask, you may also give.
However, ensure they are giving correctly to the poor, not taking commissions, like buying 100 items but giving away 50. You should monitor them.