Channels of Zakah (People Who Receive Zakah)

Mu‘āwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) relates that the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) forbade people from being persistent in asking for something, noting that such persistence removes the blessing from the given thing. Then, the Prophet swore that if someone asked him for something in a persistent manner and he gave it to him reluctantly, that thing would be bereft of blessing due to the persistent asking.

كنوز رياض الصالحين، تأليف: حمد بن ناصر بن العمار، الناشر: دار كنوز أشبيليا، الطبعة الأولى: 1430 هـ مرعاة المفاتيح شرح مشكاة المصابيح، تأليف: عبيد الله بن محمد المباركفوري، الناشر: إدارة البحوث العلمية والدعوة والإفتاء، الطبعة: الثالثة - 1404 هـ بهجة الناظرين، تأليف: سليم بن عيد الهلالي، نسخة الكترونية ، لا يوجد بها بيانات نشر. صحيح مسلم، تأليف: مسلم بن الحجاج النيسابوري، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي الناشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. نزهة المتقين، تأليف: جمعٌ من المشايخ، الناشر: مؤسسة الرسالة ، الطبعة الأولى : 1397 هـ الطبعة الرابعة عشر 1407 هـ رياض الصالحين، تأليف: محيي الدين يحيى بن شرف النووي ، تحقيق: د. ماهر بن ياسين الفحل ، الطبعة: الأولى، 1428 هـ.

The young child Al-Hasan ibn ‘Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) took a date from the dates that had been given as Zakah on date crops, and he put it in his mouth. So the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to him: "Kikh, kikh!" i.e. it is not good for you. Then he ordered him to take it out of his mouth and said to him: Charity is not permissible for us to take. The family of the Prophet Muhammad is not allowed to take charity, because they are the noblest of people. Charity and Zakah are given out to purify people from filth. It is not appropriate for the noblest of people to take the filth of others; the Prophet (may Allah's peace and blessings be upon him) said to his uncle Al-‘Abbās ibn ‘Abdul-Muttalib: "We, the family of Muhammad, are not allowed to take charity, for it is only the filth of the people.”

نزهة المتقين شرح رياض الصالحين، لمصطفى الخن وآخرين، نشر: مؤسسة الرسالة، الطبعة: الرابعة عشر، 1407ه 1987م. شرح رياض الصالحين، لمحمد ابن عثيمين، نشر: دار الوطن للنشر، الرياض، الطبعة: 1426ه. بهجة الناظرين شرح رياض الصالحين، لسليم الهلالي، نشر: دار ابن الجوزي. صحيح البخاري، نشر: دار طوق النجاة (مصورة عن السلطانية بإضافة ترقيم ترقيم محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي)، الطبعة: الأولى، 1422ه. صحيح مسلم، تحقيق: محمد فؤاد عبد الباقي، نشر: دار إحياء التراث العربي – بيروت. رياض الصالحين للنووي، ط1، تحقيق: ماهر ياسين الفحل، دار ابن كثير، دمشق، بيروت، 1428 هـ.

Two men came to the Prophet (ﷺ) during the Farewell Pilgrimage while he was distributing charity, and they asked him to give them some of it. The Prophet (ﷺ) repeatedly looked at them to assess their situation and determine whether they were eligible for charity or not. He saw that they were two strong men and said: If you wish, I will give you from the charity, but there is no share in it for one who possesses sufficient wealth, nor for those who are capable of striving and earning money, even if they do not currently possess wealth that would classify them as rich.

1. It is prohibited for a wealthy person or a capable earner to ask for charity.
2. The basic rule regarding someone whose financial status is unknown is that he is considered poor and eligible for charity.
3. Mere physical strength does not automatically preclude eligibility for charity; rather, it must be coupled with the actual ability to earn a livelihood.
4. One who is capable of earning enough to suffice himself is not permitted to take from the obligatory charity (Zakah), because he is self-sufficient through his earnings, just as the wealthy person is self-sufficient through his wealth.
5. The great Prophetic education of the Muslim personality is in self-respect, and in giving—not in taking, begging, and laziness.

سنن أبي داود (3/ 75) (1633). سنن النسائي (5/ 99) (2598). ذخيرة العقبى في شرح المجتبى (23/ 210). شرح أبي داود للعيني (6/ 374).