Giving zakat to those who declare godly scholars unbelievers

Question

A group of Muslims of our time declares the godly and truthful (rabbani and haqqani) scholars to be unbelievers and apostates (murtadds), and in this month of Ramadan they have also come specially to collect zakat, donations and fitra. May zakat, donations and fitra funds be given to such people who go about calling the scholars of truth unbelievers and apostates, or not?

Answer

In a hadith of Sahih al-Bukhari it is stated that whoever calls someone an unbeliever while he is not in reality an unbeliever, then this word (of unbelief) returns to the one who said it. Therefore, as long as someone’s unbelief is not established by unambiguous proofs, calling him an unbeliever is extremely dangerous, because it makes the faith of the one who says it waver.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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