According to a Tuesday 9 of September, 2025, report by IRNA News Agency, in a significant religious directive, the Leader of the Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, has granted permission for Muslims to allocate a portion of their Khums, a form of religious alms, to aid the embattled people of Gaza.
The ruling was issued in response to a formal religious inquiry, and was published on Tuesday by KHAMENEI.IR, the official website of the Supreme Leader.
The question posed was straightforward: “Do you give permission for us to give a part of our Khums tax to the oppressed people of Gaza?”
Ayatollah Khamenei responded with a clear authorization: “The believers have permission to give half of the ‘sahm al-Imam’ (the share of the Imam, thus one fourth of one’s total Khums tax) to help the oppressed people of Gaza.”
Under Islamic jurisprudence, Khums, which literally means “one-fifth,” is a 20% religious tax on certain types of income, traditionally divided into two equal parts. One half is known as sahm al-Imam (the share of the Imam), typically used under the authority of the leading religious scholar of the time, and the other half is sahm al-Sada, designated for the needy descendants of the Prophet Muhammad.
Ayatollah Khamenei’s decree allows believers to redirect half of the sahm al-Imam — effectively one-quarter of the entire Khums obligation — to support humanitarian needs in Gaza, a region currently facing severe hardship under ongoing siege and conflict.
This decision is seen by many as both a religious and political gesture, aligning financial religious duties with broader humanitarian and resistance causes supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran.
The ruling provides a formal religious mechanism through which Muslims can contribute to relief efforts in Gaza while fulfilling their religious obligations.
It is expected that this directive will increase the flow of aid to Gaza from religious sources, especially in the context of rising regional tensions and calls for international support for Palestinians.
