In recent days, many have reached out seeking comment regarding the ongoing fatwa discussions on the use of zakah within the lobbying space.

Questions of this nature are neither simple nor fleeting. For the past two years, I have been engaging this issue academically, recognising it as one of the weightier matters of our time; a true nāzilah requiring disciplined scholarship, intellectual breadth, and collective deliberation.

It is often said that when consequential matters arose during the time of ʿUmar (ra), he would gather the Muhājirūn and the Anṣār before arriving at a judgment. Such was the tradition of responsible leadership: consultation before conclusion, and scholarship before proclamation. Matters that affect the trust of the Ummah and the stewardship of sacred funds deserve nothing less.

This initiative is not a reaction to any single opinion, nor is it an entry into public contention. Rather, it reflects a principled commitment to ensuring that complex contemporary questions are met with scholarship that is methodical, grounded, and collectively examined.

To that end, a dedicated academic symposium, announced months ago, will convene on the 20th of June 2026.

Six research papers have been commissioned from scholars whose qualification rests not merely in studying fiqh, but in teaching and advancing it.

Complementing this effort is a panel of experts in governance and third-sector operations, assembled to help bridge the necessary space between theoretical foundations (taʾṣīl) and applied scholarship (taṭbīq), so that the discourse remains both principled and responsibly contextualised.

Each paper will be formally engaged by a designated rebuttal expert, and the symposium will host senior scholars representing the schools of Islamic jurisprudence.

This structure is intended to elevate the quality of discourse, deepen analytical rigor, and foster the type of scholarly exchange through which sound positions mature.

The commissioned papers are as follows:

Juristic Studies Across the Madhāhib (Foundational & Applied):

• Zakah, Public-Interest Advocacy, and Communal Protection: A Foundational and Applied Ḥanafī Study — Dr. Sohail Hanif

• Deploying Zakah Funds for Collective Interests and Ummah Protection: A Foundational and Applied Mālikī Study — Shaykh Sidi Muhammad al-Shanqiti

• Zakah Allocation for Collective Interests and Communal Protection: A Foundational and Applied Shāfiʿī Study in Contemporary Advocacy — Shaykh Yusuf Wahb

• Zakah, Prevention of Public Harm, and Protection of the Ummah: A Foundational and Applied Ḥanbalī Study in Contemporary Advocacy — Shaykh Dr. Ahmad Khater

Maqāṣid & Uṣūl Framework Papers (Complementary):

• Zakah and the Maqāṣid of Sharīʿah: Communal Preservation and Harm Prevention in Minority Contexts — Shaykh Fuad Abdo

• Between Public Interest, Legal Precaution, and Outcomes: An Uṣūlī Framework for Assessing Public-Interest Advocacy in Zakah — Shaykh Joe Bradford

Each paper will address:

• Scriptural foundations
• Classical juristic reasoning and ijtihād
• Applicability within minority contexts
• Analogical pathways and juristic derivation
• Governing parameters and prohibitions

The collective learning emerging from this gathering will, by the will of Allah, help establish a principled foundation for scholarly deliberations on this subject moving forward; deliberations worthy of the trust placed upon scholars when navigating matters tied to the welfare, protection, and future of the Ummah.

Our aim is clarity, responsibility, and faithful service. We ask Allah for sincerity and sound judgment, holding firmly to the tradition that truth is sought through scholarship, consultation, and humility, and that success lies in following the strongest evidence wherever it leads.

For further details or attendance inquiries: Sajid.umar@foundationsoflegacy.com

Your brother
Sajid Umar
Custodian,
Foundations of Legacy

25/08/1447 (AH) - 13/02/2026