At the beginning of February, the Fiqh Council of North America issued a fatwa permitting the use of a portion of zakat funds (the Islamic obligation of charitable contribution) for political purposes, under the Quranic category of “reconciling hearts.” The ruling is based on historical precedents and modern jurists, foremost among them Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who viewed this principle as still applicable in the present day. According to the text of the fatwa, Muslims in Western democratic countries are permitted to allocate a limited portion of zakat to political advocacy on behalf of the community through authorized institutions while prioritizing the poor and in accordance with the laws of the state.
The Fiqh Council of North America, established in 1986, has for many years worked to adapt Islamic law to the lives of Muslims in the West, especially in the post-9/11 era. In 2005, it issued a fatwa prohibiting terrorism against civilians and mandating cooperation with law enforcement authorities. In 2017, the council ruled that apostasy from Islam does not justify the death penalty. The fatwa under discussion, which permits the political use of zakat funds in the context of the war in Gaza as long as they serve the Muslim umma (community), reflects a prevalent trend among senior imams in the United States, whereby social and political involvement is an integral part of the religion.
It is therefore not surprising that the chair of the Fiqh Council of North America is Sheikh Dr. Yasir Qadhi, one of the most influential imams in the West, who for years has shaped a prominent public discourse linking Islam with social and political activism. Over the years, he has emphasized the fight against social ills as an integral part of Islam, the branding of sharia as compatible with Western democracy, and even the use of the figure of the Prophet Muhammad as one who combined the message of Islam with social and political activism. This ruling by the most important Islamic body in America appears to reflect the growing and strengthening alignment between Islamic law and political goals in the public arena—a trend that has intensified particularly since the events of October 7.
At the beginning of February, the Fiqh Council of North America issued a fatwa permitting the use of a portion of zakat funds (the Islamic obligation of charitable contribution) for political purposes, under the Quranic category of “reconciling hearts.” The ruling is based on historical precedents and modern jurists, foremost among them Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi of the Muslim Brotherhood, who viewed this principle as still applicable in the present day. According to the text of the fatwa, Muslims in Western democratic countries are permitted to allocate a limited portion of zakat to political advocacy on behalf of the community through authorized institutions while prioritizing the poor and in accordance with the laws of the state.
The Fiqh Council of North America, established in 1986, has for many years worked to adapt Islamic law to the lives of Muslims in the West, especially in the post-9/11 era. In 2005, it issued a fatwa prohibiting terrorism against civilians and mandating cooperation with law enforcement authorities. In 2017, the council ruled that apostasy from Islam does not justify the death penalty. The fatwa under discussion, which permits the political use of zakat funds in the context of the war in Gaza as long as they serve the Muslim umma (community), reflects a prevalent trend among senior imams in the United States, whereby social and political involvement is an integral part of the religion.
It is therefore not surprising that the chair of the Fiqh Council of North America is Sheikh Dr. Yasir Qadhi, one of the most influential imams in the West, who for years has shaped a prominent public discourse linking Islam with social and political activism. Over the years, he has emphasized the fight against social ills as an integral part of Islam, the branding of sharia as compatible with Western democracy, and even the use of the figure of the Prophet Muhammad as one who combined the message of Islam with social and political activism. This ruling by the most important Islamic body in America appears to reflect the growing and strengthening alignment between Islamic law and political goals in the public arena—a trend that has intensified particularly since the events of October 7.