Takeaways from the hadith:
-
The basic rule for the distribution of zakah—the form of charity meant here—is that it belongs exclusively to the eight categories named by Allah, who confined eligibility to them in His statement: “Charitable alms are only for the poor, the destitute, those employed to collect them…” (Surah al-Tawbah 9:60).
-
From these eight, the present hadith mentions three: those appointed to collect it, debtors, and the one fighting in the path of Allah.
-
As for the collectors, this includes everyone who performs any task connected with gathering zakah: the assessor, the scribe, the treasurer, the shepherd, the porter, and the like.
-
Concerning debtors, they fall into two types:
• The first is the debtor who takes on liability to reconcile warring factions. Suppose two groups are locked in strife and a man steps in to make peace, pledging a sum from his own pocket to extinguish the conflict. It is an act of benevolence to pay such debts on his behalf from zakah, lest these liabilities overwhelm the community leaders who work for reconciliation or weaken their resolve.
• The second is the debtor for personal reasons: someone whose wealth has been struck by disaster or who is weighed down by debts—even debts incurred through a prohibited avenue, provided he has repented. This second category likewise has its debts settled from zakah. -
As for the fighter in the path of Allah, he is granted from zakah whatever will cover his needs for the whole campaign, outward and return, provided he receives no fixed allowance from the public treasury, or receives one that is insufficient. These three categories may therefore receive zakah even if they are otherwise wealthy.
-
The fighters in the path of Allah are the volunteer combatants who have no entry in the military register. When the term “in the path of Allah” is mentioned without qualification, it refers to armed struggle. Allah, Exalted is He, says, “Indeed Allah loves those who fight in His path in ranks” (Surah al-Saff 61:4). It will be shown later that the expression “in the path of Allah” has a broader scope than this