Chapter: Clarifying the Recipients of Zakah and Those to Whom It May Not Be Given

Know that zakah may be distributed only to the categories Allah has specified in His Noble Book. The Almighty says,
“Charitable alms are only for the poor, the needy, those employed to collect them, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, for the emancipation of slaves, for those burdened by debt, in the cause of Allah, and for the stranded traveler—an obligation from Allah; and Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise” (Qur’an 9:60).

The individuals named in this blessed verse are the rightful beneficiaries of zakah; by unanimous agreement it is impermissible to allocate any portion of it to others.

Abu Dawud and others report from Ziyad ibn al-Harith, traced back to the Prophet ﷺ: “Allah was not pleased to leave the ruling on alms to any prophet or to anyone else; rather, He Himself ruled on them and divided them into eight shares.”

The Prophet ﷺ also said to a petitioner, “If you fall within one of those shares, I will give to you.”