Those deserving Zakah

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Q 3: Is it permissible to pay the Zakah (obligatory charity) due on me to the chieftain of the tribe? Note that he does not deliver the Zakah to the legal recipients and he takes it himself. Is it permissible to take the ewe due on the sheep of my brother as Zakah and give its price to the Zakah collectors? Is it permissible for me to do that and retain the ewe with my sheep where it feeds and drinks?

A 3: It is only permissible to pay the Zakah to the Muslim ruler on demand or to the poor. It is permissible to pay the Zakah to the chieftain of the tribe if he distributes it to the legal recipients, provided that the ruler does not request it officially. However, if the chieftain takes Zakah for himself, it is impermissible to pay it to him. It is also impermissible to pay the value of Zakah due on the cattle unless Zakah official collectors request the value of the cattle; only then, the value is accepted. As for retaining the ewe that you bought from your brother with your sheep, there is nothing wrong with that.