we follow their path. Hence the foremost of Adam’s descendants said:

“Do not praise me excessively as the Christians excessively praised Jesus son of Mary. I am only a servant, so say: ‘Allah’s servant and His Messenger.’”

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As for the “poor” whom Allah mentions in His Book, they fall into two categories: those entitled to charity and those entitled to fayʾ. Regarding those entitled to charity, Allah mentions them in His Book when He says:

“If you give charity openly, that is good; but if you conceal it and give it to the poor, that is better for you.”

And He says:

“Alms are only for the poor and the needy.”

When either the term “poor” or the term “needy” appears alone in the Quran—as in His saying, “Its expiation is to feed ten needy people”—the two terms mean the same thing. When they appear together, however, they denote two distinct categories. Both refer to people in need: those who cannot obtain enough to meet their needs, whether by asking others or through work they are capable of doing. Any Muslim in this situation is entitled to receive obligatory charity, charitable endowments, donations pledged by vow, and charitable bequests. Jurists differ over certain subsidiary issues in this matter, as is well known among scholars.

Their opposites are the “wealthy,” for whom receiving charity is forbidden. These, in turn, are