Providing Qard Hasan from Zakat Fund for Non-Recipients of Zakat: A Shariah Analysis Study

Abstract

Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam, it is considered as Islamic financial system. The paper aims at discussing the opinions of Muslim scholars regarding the permissibility of granting a soft loan from the Zakat sources; by spending their resources in ways that are not specified by the Qur’an, and the Sunnah. The research methodology applied in this paper is analytical and inductive methods which are adopted to study the view of classical and contemporary scholars, and to analyzing the views of advanced and contemporary jurists. Muslim scholars have different opinions regarding the permissibility of granting a soft loan from the Zakat sources based to various doctrines as follows: the first opinion States that it is permissible to grant soft loan using zakat revenues; this opinion was supported by Al-Maududi, Abdulrahman khalaf and Abu-Zuhra among others. The Second opinion says that it is forbidden to grant soft loan using zakat revenues; this was seconded by Rafiq Yunuss, Jadal Al-hāqī and others. The Third opinion states that it is permissible to grant soft loan using zakat revenues with specific conditions. The proponents of this were Abu satar, Muḥāmād Azukheil and among others. The study concludes with major results as follows: It is not permissible to use zakat revenues without specific aims set up for it; because it is violation of the Quranic text and the intent of Islamic Sharia of Zakat expenditures. The paper recommended to Zakat institutions to establish a fund to povide Qard Hasan to non Zakat recipients.