Liaison office of Grand Ayatullah Sayyid Ali Al Sistani (L.M.H.L) in London, Europe, North and South America.
1965. A person should give Zakat with the intention of Qurbat, that
is, to comply with the pleasure of Almighty Allah. And he should specify in his
Niyyat, whether he is giving the Zakat on his wealth, or Zakatul Fitra. Also, if
it is obligatory on him to give Zakat on wheat and barley, and if he wants to
pay a sum of money equal to the value of Zakat, he should specify whether he is
paying in lieu of wheat or barley.
1966. If a person becomes liable to pay Zakat on various items, and he
gives a part of Zakat without making Niyyat of any of those items, if the thing
which he has given is of the same class as any one of those items, it will be
reckoned to be Zakat on that very commodity.
For instance, if it is
obligatory on a person to pay Zakat on 40 sheep and on 15 mithqals of gold, and
he gives one sheep as Zakat without any specified Niyyat of either, it will be
treated to be Zakat on sheep. But if he gives some silver coins or bank notes,
which does not belong to either class, as it is neither sheep nor gold, it is a
matter of Ishkal and the Zakat will not be considered as paid.
1967. If a person appoints someone as his representative to give away
the Zakat of his property, he should, while handing over Zakat to the
representative, make Niyyat that whatever his representative will later give to
a poor is Zakat. And it is better that his Niyyat remains constant till Zakat
reaches the poor.
1968. If a person gives Zakat to poor, or to the Mujtahid, without
making the Niyyat of Qurbat, it will be accepted as Zakat, although he will have
committed a sin for not having the Niyyat of Qurbat.