The Supreme Council for Fatwa has issued a ruling stating that the Maldives Hajj Corporation is responsible for paying zakat on funds collected from individuals preparing for the Hajj pilgrimage.

The fatwa, issued on July 8, 2025, follows a review of information submitted by the Hajj Corporation and deliberations conducted by members of the Fatwa Council. The ruling comes in response to longstanding public questions about whether zakat must be paid on money deposited with the Corporation, and if so, who is responsible for making the payment.

For many years, prospective pilgrims have been required to make advance payments to enter a queue system managed by the Hajj Corporation. Due to limited quotas and high demand, individuals often wait several years before securing a slot for the pilgrimage. As a result, the Corporation holds large sums of public funds over extended periods—sums that frequently exceed the Nisab threshold for Zakat al-Mal.

In the Maldives, the Nisab for Zakat al-Mal is calculated based on the price of silver, currently set at MVR 9,264.15. Given the extended holding period and the value of the funds, the Fatwa Council concluded that these funds meet the criteria for zakat and that the responsibility for payment lies with the Hajj Corporation, not the individual pilgrims.

Previously, the Hajj Corporation had instructed pilgrims to pay zakat on the funds themselves. However, this latest fatwa marks a shift in policy, placing the responsibility directly on the Corporation to ensure zakat is paid from the funds in its custody.

Currently, the Hajj quota for Maldivian pilgrims is assigned to the Hajj Corporation. All pilgrims scheduled for Hajj this year were able to travel as planned under the Corporation’s queue system.