Zakat As Means Of Social Welfare: Exploring A Recent Fatwa From The Moroccan ‘Ulama’ On The Permissibility Of Paying Zakat In Advance To Help The Poor Of The Covid-19

The Coronavirus has contributed effectively to the rise of religious fatawa in all aspects of life, especially related to solidarity. One of the issues related to Coronavirus is the permissibility of paying zakat in advance to the due date to assist those affected by the pandemic. In this context, the religious Moroccan ulama issued a fatawa allowing a man to pay one or two years of zakat in advance to the due date. As a result, there have been numerous discussions around the issuing of this fatawa and other issues such as the role of ulama within Moroccan society during the epidemiological conditions, and re-establishing a formal zakat system. The objective of this article is to shed light on this recent fatawa to explore the causes and circumstances of this legitimate fatawa. It also aims to discuss the evidence used by the Moroccan ulama to issue this fatawa. By examining the Moroccan ulama fatawa, this article aims to show the role of the ulama in their communities during difficult times.