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Ruling 1851

Khums must be divided into two parts: one part is the portion for sayyids19 (sahm al‐sādāt), which must be given to a poor sayyid, an orphan sayyid, or a sayyid who is stranded on a journey. The second part is the portion for the Imam (ʿA) (sahm al‐imām), which at present [i.e. during the time of the Imam’s (ʿA) occultation] must either be given to a fully qualified jurist or spent for purposes that he authorises. And the obligatory precaution is that the jurist must be the most learned (aʿlam) marjaʿ 20 and be well aware of public affairs.

19 A sayyid is a male descendant of Hāshim, the great grandfather of Prophet Muḥammad (Ṣ).

20 A marjaʿ is a jurist who has the necessary qualifications to be followed in matters of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh). See Ruling 2.