question| Can we offer our zakāt to charitable institutions, such as the Imam Khomeini Relief Organization (kumītih imdād imām khumiynī), if they intend to use it to purchase necessary household items for the newlywed young women under their care? Is it permissible to spend the religious tax of zakāt for such purposes?^⁎

answer| If the charitable organizations in question are awarded power of attorney by the needy individuals that they serve and are thus authorized to function as their agent (wakīl) both in the receipt of the offered zakāt and in its expenditure, they may use the zakāt given them by the believers for the purpose described in the question.

^⁎ Note that zakāt in the context of Shia law refers to a specific mandatory religious tax.