Paying Zakah on dates to the responsible committee

Q: Since we started distributing the Zakah on dates in Riyadh, we have faced some problems, such as the following:When some Zakah recipients are referred by the Zakah committee to those paying Zakah on their dates, they are turned away by the date growers, who say that they have already given their Zakah to people they know. Other growers say that they have no Zakah to pay on their dates, and others claim that they are only workers and they do not have any dates and do not know the owners' addresses or where they live. We, therefore, presented this issue to the specialized department in the Ministry of Finance and they referred us to Your Eminence for your advice on the matter. Should we accept the words of those who say they have paid the Zakah on their palm trees? Should we accept the claim of those who say they do not have enough dates to pay Zakah on, even though the Zakah collectors have found that they have a large amount of dates? What should the Committee do when the Zakah recipients go to the farms and do not find the owner there, but they meet their workers who refuse to give them the specified amount of Zakah on dates? I hope to receive advice from you, and may Allah enlighten you and support you.

A: Firstly, the authority in charge of collecting the Zakah should tell all the farmers that they should not distribute the Zakah by themselves nor give it to anyone other than the authority nominated by the ruler or one of its representatives. They should be asked to sign when they have (Part No. 9; Page No. 426) been informed of this. After that, do not accept any claims that they have given their Zakah to people other than the Committee. Secondly, do not accept any farmer's claim that they do not have anything on which Zakah is due, if the collectors of Zakah have decided that they do, because they know the truth and are responsible for this work. They should take the amount of Zakah that is due on the dates. Thirdly, anyone who claims that they are not the owner of the dates, just a worker, should not be asked to give the Zakah themselves. They should be asked to refer the collectors to the owner of the dates, and the neighbors also should be asked to do the same.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.