Zakah (Giving Charity)
Who is Entitled to Receive Zakah
Knowing who qualifies as recipient of Zakah is an important aspect of Zakah collection in Islam.
"Alms are for the poor and the needy; and those employed to administer (the funds); for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to truth); for those in bondage and in debt; in the cause of Allah; and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah, and Allah is full of knowledge and wisdom."Quran 9:60
The poor and the needy
These are individuals, and those under their care, to live on. By the poor and needy is meant the people whose income or salaries, or whatever material goods they have, fall short of the cost of living in a given environment and economy. The poor and the needy should be given what will suffice them and their families for one full year. The needy who want to get married and have no means should be given enough for this purpose, and so, too, the student who needs money for tuition, rent, food, and books. The working poor should be given supplementary Zakah. But the wealthy, or any person with enough income to live on should not be given Zakah, even if they asked for it. Instead, they should be warned and admonished for asking for what does not belong to them.
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: "A man keeps on asking others for something till he comes on the day of Resurrection without any piece of flesh on his face."Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, Narrated by Abdullah bin Umar
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: "Whoever asks people for their money so as to get rich, he is asking for flames of fire. It is up to him to ask for more or less (he should beware)."Sahih Muslim, Narrated by Abu Hurairah
I begged Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and he gave me. I begged again, and he gave me. I begged again and he gave me. He then said: "This money is green and sweet; he who receives it from people with a cheerful heart, Allah will bless him in it; he who receives it, with an avaricious mind would not be blessed in it. He will be like the person who eats without being satisfied; and the upper hand is better than the lower hand"Sahih Muslim, Narrated by Hakeem bin Hizaam
This hadith gave an analogy between money and green, ripened fruit that people love to eat. Thus, it indicates that both are greatly loved but easily finished. For money that is easy come easy go, one must be careful about the punishment that awaits the illegal eater. If a person asks for Zakah and there are no signs of wealth, and he does not know that he should not ask, or a person who is well and able, who can work, but does not; if these people do not know that it is not permissible for them to ask, it may be given anyway.
Two men came to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and asked for Zakah. He looked at them closely and found them strong and able, he said, "If you want I will give you. But you should know that the wealthy or an able person who can work has no share in Zakah"Ahmad, Narrated by Ahmed, Abu Dawud, and Nasa'e
People in debt
The people in debt are of two kinds:
The guarantor
The guarantor who takes the responsibility of someone else's debt so as to reconcile the two warring parties, to extinguish the fire of fitnah between them. If the person requests Zakah money to pay off this debt he should be given it, which will encourage him to continue in this noble cause.
I was under debt (hamaalah) and I came to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him and begged him to help me pay it off. Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him told him: "Wait until we receive charity, so we will command that it be given to you." However, Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him then stated: "O Qubaysah, begging is not permitted except for one of three categories of people:
- A man who has incurred debt (as guarantor to reconcile blood wit) for him begging is permissible till he pays that off, after which he must stop it;
- A man whose property has been destroyed by calamity which has smitten him; for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support life or will provide him reasonable subsistence;
- A man who has been smitten by poverty, the genuineness of which should be confirmed by three knowledgeable members of his people; for him begging is permissible till he gets what will support him, or will provide him subsistence.
Besides these three, Qubaysah, begging is forbidden for every other persons, and one who engages in such consumes that which is forbidden."Sahih Muslim, Narrated by Qubaysah Al-Hilaaly
The person in debt
Whoever incurs debt and has no money to pay it back will be given from Zakah to help pay his debt, whether the amount is large or small; or his creditor should be paid directly on his behalf, so long as it is paid off.
Zakah in the path of Allah
By this is meant to finance a Jihad effort in the path of Allah, not for Jihad for other reasons. The fighter (mujahid) will be given as salary what will be enough for him. If he needs to buy arms or some other supplies related to the war effort, Zakah money should be used provided the effort is to raise the banner of Islam.
The wayfarer
This is the traveller who in a strange land runs out of money. He or she deserves Zakah, enough money to take him back to his country, even if he is wealthy and can find someone to loan him the money. On his part, he should take with him on his trip sufficient money, if he is wealthy, so that he will not need Zakah. Zakah money can not be used to pay off other obligations, such as giving Zakah money to people you are obligated to take care of by law; or Zakah money can not be used to pay for hotel and food expenses.
It is, however, permissible to give Zakah to a wife or family member, provided it is not part of their daily living expense money, but is needed to pay off a debt for one's wife if she can not pay it. So is the case for one's parents if they can not pay their debt.
Zakah money may be given to members of the family for their expenses if one is not obligated to take care of them financially. The wife can pay off a debt of her husband with Zakah money, because he may be among the eight eligible recipients and she is not obligated to spend on him as he is on her.
Priority of who should be given Zakah
The eight eligible recipients of Zakah can be denied their right to Zakah without proof from Al-Qur`an or Sunnah.
Zaynab heard Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him order women to give Zakah, so she asked Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him: " O Messenger of Allah, you commanded us to give Zakah, and I have jewellery that I wanted to assess for Zakah, but my husband Abdullah bin Mas`ud claimed that his son deserves it more than anyone." Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him replied: Your husband Ibn Mas`ud is right. Your son deserves your charity more than anyone."Narrated by Ibn Masud
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: "Charity to the poor is only charity, but charity to the rest of kind is charity and maintenance of relations (sillah)."Narrated by Salman bin `Aamir
Loans as Zakah
No loan should be written off as Zakah because Zakah is taken and given.
"Of their goods take alms...."Qur'an, 9: 103
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: "Allah has mandated on you Zakah to be taken from the wealthy and to be given to the poor."Source Unknown
Thus, writing off debt is not taken. For instance, If you loan a person money, you can not write off that loan as a Zakah. However, it could be written off as sadaqah charity. Furthermore, loan, delinquent or not, is considered an absent money, therefore, it should not be transacted in Zakah. for Zakah is assessed only in cash in hand. Besides, debt money is valued less than cash in the hand, and using that money for alms is like exchanging good money for bad.
Giving Zakah to an eligible person
The assessor of alms should try to give his Zakah to an eligible person, but if he makes a mistake and gives it to an ineligible person it is accepted.
Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him said: ""A man expressed his intention to give charity, so he came with his charity and placed it in the hand of an adulteress. In the morning the people were talking and saying charity was given to an adulteress last night.
The donor said: O Allah, to thee be the Praise - charity to an adulteress!
He then again expressed his intention to give charity, so he went out with it and placed it in the hand of a rich person. In the morning the people were talking and saying charity was given to a rich person.
The donor said, O Allah to You be the praise - charity to a rich man!
He then expressed his intention to give charity, so he went out with his charity and placed it in the hand of a thief. In the morning the people were talking and saying charity to the thief.
So the man said, O Allah to You be the praise (what a misfortune that charity has been given) to the adulteress, the rich and the thief!
Then someone came to him and told him your charity has been accepted. As for the adulteress the charity might become the means whereby she might restrain from fornication. The rich man might perhaps learn a lesson and spend from what Allah has given him, and the thief might thereby restrain from committing theft.Sahih Muslim and Bukhari, Narrated by Abu Huraira
