Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem
Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu,
Jazakallah for your question in relation to giving Zakah for Sayyad's.
First of all we must be clear, are we giving Zakah to a Sayyad so that he may spend it on his Sayyad family? or are we giving the Sayyad some Zakah because he is in administration, and that he will now forward it to the needy, poor, and destitute?
For the first part of the question, then Zakat can not be spent by a Sayyad family as the Beloved Prophet of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), has stated in a Hadith-e-Mubarikah that:
'Oh Banu Hashim, be patient upon yourselves, because the sadaqah is a form of 'cleaner' for the men'.
From this hadith, which is narrated in Tabarani Kabir by Ibn-e-'Abbas (Radi Allahu anhu), we clearly see that anything that is used to clean money, is not to be taken by the Banu Hashim. Similarly, in another Hadith of the Beloved Prophet of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), has stated that :
'It is not permissable (ja'iz) for the family of the Beloved of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam), to recieve sadaqah, because it is the dirt of the men.'
This Hadith Sharif has been narrated by Muslim, and by Imam Ahmad by Matlab bin Rabi'ah (Radi Allahu anhu). Here the word 'dirt', means that money which is used to cleanse the rest of the money of a person paying the Zakah.
Ibn-e-Sa'd has also made a similar narration from Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba' (Radi Allahu anhu), that the Beloved Prophet of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) said:
'That Allah the Almighty has forbid (haram) any sadaqah upon myself and my family'.
In the books of Tirmidhi, Nisa'i, and Hakim, Hadrat Abu Raf'e (Radi Allahu anhu), that the Beloved Prophet of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam) said that:
'Sadaqah is not halal for us, and whichever nation has its freed slave, then he is from them as well.'
From the above ahaadith-e-Mubarikah, we can clearly see a pattern that it is forbidden (haram) for the Family of the Beloved Prophet of Allah (Salla Allahu ta'ala alayhi wa Sallam), to receive any form of Sadaqah and Zakah for themselves. However if someone gives any goods to them in the form of money (hadyah), this is perfectly permissable (ja'iz), as a token of love, or reverence, or devotion.
This leaves us with the question that, what if there is a Sayyad, and happens to be poor? Then as the case may be in the subcontinent, where they have Sayyad and non-Sayyad students (tulaba'), then the Zakah money will have to be given by a different means i.e. (hilah), and that is to give the Zakah money to a non-Sayyad, and then he forwards the money to the Sayyad student in the form of hadyah. This will have the payer paying his Zakah, and the recipient recieving it although he is a Sayyad.
Lastly, what of a Sayyad who collects money which is Zakah, and then forwards it to Sayyad/non sSayyad students/poor/faqirs? Then this is perfectly permissable (ja'iz), as long as the syed is not taking any for himself, but is forwarding it in the right direction.
May Allah the Almighty, help us all to purify our money in the correct manner, and may he bestow us with the good character of being generous.Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab
M. Waseem Ashrafi
