(60) “Alms are only for the poor, the needy, those employed to administer them, those whose hearts are to be won over, the freeing of those in bondage, debtors, Allah’s cause, and the stranded traveler—an obligation from Allah. Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.”
Allah Most High says, “Alms are only”—that is, obligatory zakāt. This is evident because voluntary charity may be given to anyone and is not restricted to some people rather than others.
In other words, alms are exclusively for those mentioned here, to the exclusion of everyone else, for Allah has restricted them to these eight categories.
The first and second categories are the poor and the needy. In this context, they are two categories of differing degrees. A poor person is in greater need than a needy person, for Allah began with the poor, and He begins with what is most important, in descending order of importance. The poor person is therefore defined as one who has nothing or has some of what suffices him, but less than half.
The needy person is one who has half or more of what suffices him, but not enough to meet all his needs; for if he had enough, he would be self-sufficient. They are given enough zakāt to relieve their poverty and need.
The third category is those employed to administer zakāt. This includes everyone whose work and duties relate to it: its custodian, the person who collects it from those liable to pay it, the herdsman who tends its livestock, its transporter, its record-keeper, and others like them. They are paid for their service, as compensation for their work in administering it.
The fourth category is those whose hearts are to be won over. Such a person is a leader obeyed among his people whose acceptance of Islam is hoped for, whose harm is feared, or whose faith is expected to grow stronger through receiving a gift. It may also be hoped that his peers will embrace Islam or that, through him, zakāt will be collected from those who otherwise refuse to pay it. He is therefore given whatever will win his heart and secure the intended benefit.
The fifth category is those in bondage. They include slaves under contracts of manumission who have agreed to purchase their freedom from their masters. They strive to obtain the sum that will free them and are assisted in doing so with zakāt funds. Freeing a Muslim captive held by the disbelievers also falls under this category; indeed, it has greater priority. This category also permits zakāt funds to be used to manumit slaves directly, as this is included in His words, “and for freeing those in bondage.”
The sixth category is debtors, of whom there are two kinds.
The first consists of those who incur debt to reconcile people. This occurs when hostility and discord arise between two groups and a man intervenes to reconcile them by offering money to one or both parties. He has therefore been assigned a share of zakāt to encourage him and strengthen his resolve. He is given from it even if he is wealthy.
The second is someone who incurs debt for his own needs and then becomes unable to pay it. He is given enough to settle his debt.
The seventh category is the fighter in Allah’s cause. These are volunteer fighters who are not on an official military payroll. They are given enough zakāt to assist them in their campaigns, including the cost of a weapon or mount and living expenses for themselves and their dependants, so that they may devote themselves to jihād with peace of mind.
Many jurists have said that a person capable of earning a living who devotes himself to seeking knowledge may be given zakāt, because knowledge is included in jihād in Allah’s cause.
They have also said that a poor person may be given from it to perform his obligatory Hajj, [but this is open to question] (1).
The eighth category is the stranded traveler: a stranger cut off from his resources while away from his homeland. He is given enough zakāt to return home. These are the eight categories, and zakāt is paid only to them.
“An obligation from Allah”—He imposed and apportioned it in accordance with His knowledge and wisdom. “Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” Know that these eight categories fall under two broad principles.
The first comprises those who are given because of their own need and for their own benefit, such as the poor, the needy, and others like them.
The second comprises those who are given because they are needed and Islam benefits from them. Allah therefore made this share obligatory in the wealth of the affluent in order to meet the individual and communal needs of Islam and the Muslims. If the wealthy paid zakāt on their wealth in the manner prescribed by Islamic law, no Muslim would remain poor. There would also be sufficient funds to secure the frontiers, wage jihād against the disbelievers, and fulfill every religious interest.