Egypt’s Dar al-Iftaa: Alms-giving permissible for non-Muslims to reduce COVID-19 economic impacts

CAIRO - 16 May 2020: Egypt’s Dar Al-Iftaa issued a fatwa (Islamic decision) that allows giving Muslims’ zakat [alms] to non-Muslims amid the crisis of the new coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.

It is allowed for Muslims to give their alms to the non-Muslims who are in need of money, treatment, or protection from the COVID-19 disease, the Fatwa said.

يجوز إعطاء غير المسلمين من أموال الزكاة والصدقة إذا كانوا من مستحقيها pic.twitter.com/Sdmh4Ir4oK

— دار الإفتاء المصرية 🏠 🇪🇬 (@EgyptDarAlIfta) May 14, 2020

To overcome the economic repercussions of the COVID-19, the board of Zakat House and the Egyptian Charity, which comes under Al Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El Tayyeb, allocated LE 200 million for the needy people, Egypt’s state-owned news agency MENA.

Egypt’s Ministry of Health announced on Friday that 399 people have tested positive for coronavirus in Egypt over 24 hours, bringing the total number of cases to 11,228.