Please note the following:

1. There is no disagreement among Muslims, regardless of their sects, that Zakat is forbidden for Banu Hashim; just as ibn Qudamah[1], al-Nawawi[2], ibn Hajar[3], al-Buhuti[4], and al-Shawkani[5] from the Sunnis, Sharif al-Murtada[6], Ja‘far ibn Hasan, known as al-Muhaqqiq al-Hilli[7], Hasan ibn Yusuf ibn al-Mutahhar, known as Allamah al-Hilli[8], and Zayn al-Din ibn Ali, known as al-Shahid al-Thani[9] from the Imamiyyah, and Ahmad al-Murtada[10] from the Zaydiyyah have explicitly stated this. It was not because of the asceticism and contentment of Banu Hashim, but rather because of the mutawatir report from the Messenger of Allah that he said: «لَا تَحِلُّ الصَّدَقَةُ لِآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ، إِنَّمَا هِيَ أَوْسَاخُ النَّاسِ»; “Alms is not lawful for the family of Muhammad. It is only the impurities of people.” This is in accordance with the Book of Allah; because, although He has said in surah at-Tawbah in an absolute manner: ﴿إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ﴾[11]; “Indeed, alms are only for the poor, the needy, those employed to (collect) them, those whose hearts are to be won over, and (to free) the slaves and those in debt, and for the cause of Allah and the wayfarer,” which apparently is general in relation to Banu Hashim and others, He has said in surah ash-Shura: ﴿قُلْ لَا أَسْأَلُكُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَجْرًا إِلَّا الْمَوَدَّةَ فِي الْقُرْبَى﴾[12]; “Say: ‘I do not ask you for any reward but affection for my relatives,’” and this requires honoring Banu Hashim by giving them a pure portion of wealth, not its impurities, and Khums is a pure portion of wealth, while Zakat is its impurities. Therefore, it is not permissible to give them Zakat, and it is only permissible to give them Khums as an honor to them. He has also said in surah al-Ahzab: ﴿إِنَّمَا يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ لِيُذْهِبَ عَنْكُمُ الرِّجْسَ أَهْلَ الْبَيْتِ وَيُطَهِّرَكُمْ تَطْهِيرًا﴾[13]; “Indeed, Allah wants to remove any impurity from you, O Ahl al-Bayt, and make you completely pure,” while eating impurities is impurity, and therefore, it is forbidden for the Ahl al-Bayt. The Messenger of Allah explained it, just as he explained the amounts of Zakat, in accordance with the words of Allah Almighty, where He has said: ﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ﴾[14]; “And We sent down the Remembrance to you so that you explain to people what has been sent down to them, and that they may reflect.”

2. The intended meaning of the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer mentioned in the words of Allah Almighty: ﴿وَاعْلَمُوا أَنَّمَا غَنِمْتُمْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَأَنَّ لِلَّهِ خُمُسَهُ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ﴾[15]; “And know that anything you gain as booty, surely one-fifth of it belongs to Allah and to the Prophet and to close relatives and the orphans and the needy and the wayfarer,” is the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer from Banu Hashim. There are three pieces of evidence for this:

Firstly, Allah has linked them with close relatives, who are the relatives of the Prophet and this can be by way of mentioning the specific after the general, as is in the words of Allah Almighty: ﴿مَنْ كَانَ عَدُوًّا لِلَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ وَجِبْرِيلَ وَمِيكَالَ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ عَدُوٌّ لِلْكَافِرِينَ﴾[16]; “Whoever is an enemy to Allah and His Angels and His Messengers and Jibril and Mikal, then indeed, Allah is an enemy to disbelievers,” while there is no doubt that Jibril and Mikal are among His Angels.

Secondly, Allah has forbidden Zakat for the orphans, the needy, and the wayfarer from Banu Hashim. Justice requires that He provide them with something to eliminate their need for it so that they are not neglected, while there is nothing after Zakat that must be paid except for Khum. Therefore, Khums must be for them.

Thirdly, it is an established view from the Ahl al-Bayt, and their view is true according to the verse of purification and Hadith al-Thaqalayn, and it explains the Book of Allah; as it has been narrated from Ali that he said: «نَحْنُ وَاللَّهِ الَّذِينَ عَنَى اللَّهُ بِذِي الْقُرْبَى الَّذِينَ قَرَنَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَنَبِيِّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقَالَ: ﴿مَا أَفَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْقُرَى فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينِ﴾[17] مِنَّا خَاصَّةً، وَلَمْ يَجْعَلْ لَنَا سَهْمًا فِي الصَّدَقَةِ، أَكْرَمَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ وَأَكْرَمَنَا أَنْ يُطْعِمَنَا أَوْسَاخَ مَا فِي أَيْدِي النَّاسِ»[18]; “By Allah, we are the ones whom Allah has intended by ‘close relatives’ whom He has mentioned alongside Himself and His Prophet where He has said: ‘And whatever Allah has restored to His Messenger from the people of the towns, it is for Allah and for the Messenger and for close relatives and the orphans and the needy,’ meaning only from us. And He has not made for us a share in Zakat. Rather, He has honored His Prophet and us, the Ahl al-Bayt, by not feeding us from the impurities of people’s wealth,” and from Ali ibn Husain that he said: «لِيَتَامَانَا وَمَسَاكِينِنَا وَأَبْنَاءِ سَبِيلِنَا»[19]; “For the orphans and the needy and the wayfarers from us,” and from Abu Ja‘far or Abu Abdullah Ja‘far ibn Muhammad that he said: «خُمْسُ اللَّهِ لِلْإِمَامِ، وَخُمْسُ الرَّسُولِ لِلْإِمَامِ، وَخُمْسُ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى لِقَرَابَةِ الرَّسُولِ الْإِمَامِ، وَالْيَتَامَى يَتَامَى آلِ الرَّسُولِ، وَالْمَسَاكِينُ مِنْهُمْ، وَأَبْنَاءُ السَّبِيلِ مِنْهُمْ، فَلَا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى غَيْرِهِمْ»[20]; “Khums of Allah belongs to the Imam, and Khums of the Prophet belongs to the Imam, and Khums of close relatives belongs to close relatives of the Prophet, meaning the Imam. And the orphans are the orphans of the Prophet’s family, and the needy are from them, and the wayfarers are from them. So, it does not go out of them to others,” and from Musa ibn Ja‘far that he said: «يُقْسَمُ بَيْنَهُمُ الْخُمُسُ عَلَى سِتَّةِ أَسْهُمٍ: سَهْمٌ لِلَّهِ وَسَهْمٌ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ وَسَهْمٌ لِذِي الْقُرْبَى وَسَهْمٌ لِلْيَتَامَى وَسَهْمٌ لِلْمَسَاكِينِ وَسَهْمٌ لِأَبْنَاءِ السَّبِيلِ، فَسَهْمُ اللَّهِ وَسَهْمُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ لِأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْ بَعْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وِرَاثَةً، فَلَهُ ثَلَاثَةُ أَسْهُمٍ: سَهْمَانِ وِرَاثَةً، وَسَهْمٌ مَقْسُومٌ لَهُ مِنَ اللَّهِ، وَلَهُ نِصْفُ الْخُمُسِ كَمَلًا، وَنِصْفُ الْخُمُسِ الْبَاقِي بَيْنَ أَهْلِ بَيْتِهِ، فَسَهْمٌ لِيَتَامَاهُمْ وَسَهْمٌ لِمَسَاكِينِهِمْ وَسَهْمٌ لِأَبْنَاءِ سَبِيلِهِمْ، يُقْسَمُ بَيْنَهُمْ عَلَى الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ مَا يَسْتَغْنُونَ بِهِ فِي سَنَتِهِمْ ... وَإِنَّمَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ هَذَا الْخُمُسَ خَاصَّةً لَهُمْ دُونَ مَسَاكِينِ النَّاسِ وَأَبْنَاءِ سَبِيلِهِمْ عِوَضًا لَهُمْ مِنْ صَدَقَاتِ النَّاسِ تَنْزِيهًا مِنَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ لِقَرَابَتِهِمْ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَكَرَامَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ لَهُمْ عَنْ أَوْسَاخِ النَّاسِ، فَجَعَلَ لَهُمْ خَاصَّةً مِنْ عِنْدِهِ مَا يُغْنِيهِمْ بِهِ عَنْ أَنْ يُصَيِّرَهُمْ فِي مَوْضِعِ الذُّلِّ وَالْمَسْكَنَةِ، وَلَا بَأْسَ بِصَدَقَاتِ بَعْضِهِمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَهُمُ الْخُمُسَ هُمْ قَرَابَةُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِينَ ذَكَرَهُمُ اللَّهُ فَقَالَ: ﴿وَأَنْذِرْ عَشِيرَتَكَ الْأَقْرَبِينَ﴾[21] وَهُمْ بَنُو عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ أَنْفُسُهُمُ الذَّكَرُ مِنْهُمْ وَالْأُنْثَى، لَيْسَ فِيهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ بُيُوتَاتِ قُرَيْشٍ وَلَا مِنَ الْعَرَبِ أَحَدٌ، وَلَا فِيهِمْ وَلَا مِنْهُمْ فِي هَذَا الْخُمُسِ مِنْ مَوَالِيهِمْ، وَقَدْ تَحِلُّ صَدَقَاتُ النَّاسِ لِمَوَالِيهِمْ وَهُمْ وَالنَّاسُ سَوَاءٌ»[22]; “Khums is divided into six shares: one share for Allah, one share for the Messenger of Allah, one share for close relatives, one share for the orphans, one share for the needy, and one share for the wayfarers. The share of Allah and the share of the Messenger of Allah, after the Messenger of Allah belong to the one in authority as inheritance. Therefore, he has three shares: two shares that he inherits, and one share that is his own portion from Allah. Thus, half of the Khums belongs entirely to him, and the other half belongs to his relatives; in this way that one share is for their orphans, one share is for their needy, and one share is for their wayfarers, which is distributed among them according to the Book and the Sunnah, enough to meet their needs for one year... And Allah has made this Khums exclusively for them, not for the needy and the wayfarers of other people, to be a substitute for the alms of people, so that because of their kinship with the Messenger of Allah He exalts and honors them by keeping them free from the impurities of people. Therefore, He has ordained something for them from Himself that frees them from being in a position of humiliation and wretchedness. However, there is nothing wrong with their own alms for themselves. The ones for whom Allah has ordained Khums are the close relatives of the Prophet whom He has mentioned and said: ‘And warn your closest relatives.’ And they are the children of Abd al-Muttalib, both men and women, and no one from other clans of the Quraysh or Arabs is among them. And also none of their freed slaves have a right to Khums, and the alms of people are lawful for their freed slaves, and they are no different from the rest of the people.”

3. The payment of Khums and Zakat is not contingent on the government of Allah’s caliph on Earth; because it is not one of the penalties of Islam, but rather one of its obligations, like prayer, fasting, and Hajj. Yes, paying the share of Allah’s caliph from Banu Hashim, which is half of the Khums, is not practically possible during his absence, and therefore, it has been waived for his followers who are preparing the ground for his advent, such as the helpers of Mansoor; because they are excused and are not among those who have caused his absence. However, it has not been waived for the rest of the people; as it has been narrated from Ali that he said: «هَلَكَ النَّاسُ فِي بُطُونِهِمْ وَفُرُوجِهِمْ، لِأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يُؤَدُّوا إِلَيْنَا حَقَّنَا، أَلَا وَإِنَّ شِيعَتَنَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَآبَاءَهُمْ فِي حِلٍّ»[23]; “People have perished concerning their bellies and private parts; because they have not paid us our right. Be aware that our followers and their fathers have been exempted from paying it,” and from Abu Ja‘far or Abu Abdullah that he said: «إِنَّ أَشَدَّ مَا فِيهِ النَّاسُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ أَنْ يَقُومَ صَاحِبُ الْخُمُسِ فَيَقُولَ: يَا رَبِّ خُمُسِي! وَقَدْ طَيَّبْنَا ذَلِكَ لِشِيعَتِنَا لِتَطِيبَ وِلَادَتُهُمْ وَلِيَزْكُوَ أَوْلَادُهُمْ»[24]; “The most difficult situation people will face on the Day of Resurrection is when the owner of Khums stands up and says: ‘O Lord! My Khums!’ And we have permitted our followers to not pay it so that their births are pure and their children are pure,” and from Abu Abdullah that he said: «النَّاسُ كُلُّهُمْ يَعِيشُونَ فِي فَضْلِ مَظْلِمَتِنَا، إِلَّا أَنَّا أَحْلَلْنَا شِيعَتَنَا مِنْ ذَلِكَ»[25]; “All people live by eating a portion of our right, except that we have exempted our followers from paying it.” Despite this, the helpers of Mansoor do not refrain from paying the Mahdi’s share of Khums during his absence. Rather, they give it to Mansoor so that he spends it on preparing the ground for his advent; because if they were to give it to the Mahdi himself, he would undoubtedly spend it on preparing the ground for his advent. Therefore, giving it to Mansoor in this time is like giving it to the Mahdi. ﴿وَمَنْ يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ ۚ وَاللَّهُ الْغَنِيُّ وَأَنْتُمُ الْفُقَرَاءُ ۚ وَإِنْ تَتَوَلَّوْا يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوا أَمْثَالَكُمْ﴾[26]; “And whoever is miserly is only miserly to his own loss. And Allah is the Rich, while you are the poor. And if you turn away, He will replace you with another people; then they will not be like you.”