Zakat has owners

Zakat is not a gift you give to anyone you like. It is a set share of your wealth that already belongs to certain people. Allah named them Himself¹.

When Nabi ﷺ sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he told him to teach the people that zakat is taken from their rich and given back to their poor².

So the question "who gets my zakat?" matters. If it goes to the wrong person, it may not count as zakat at all.

How much zakat you owe is covered in Zakat basics and Zakat on your wealth. To work out your amount, use the Zakat calculator.

The eight groups

Allah says: zakat is only for the poor, the needy, those who work on it, those whose hearts are being brought close, freeing captives, people in debt, in the way of Allah, and the stranded traveler. A duty from Allah³.

Here they are one by one, with examples from today.

1 and 2. The poor (fuqara) and the needy (masakin)

• The poor have little or nothing. The needy have something, but not enough for their basic needs. Both may receive zakat.
• Today: a family that cannot pay for food, rent or bills. A worker whose wage does not cover the basics.
• Some poor people do not ask. People think they are rich because they keep their dignity⁴. Look out for them.

3. Those who work on zakat (al-amilin)

• The people appointed to collect and hand out zakat. They are paid from it for their work, even if they are rich⁵.
• Today: official zakat bodies. Whether a private charity may pay its staff from this share, scholars differ.

4. Those whose hearts are being brought close (al-mu'allafati qulubuhum)

• People whose faith is new or weak, or people close to Islam, helped so their hearts grow close to it.
• Today: a new Muslim who lost their family's support or their job after accepting Islam.
• Hanafis say this share is no longer given, since the time of Umar. Most other scholars say it can still be given when there is a real need.

5. Freeing captives (fir-riqab)

In the past, this meant freeing slaves. Today, some scholars apply it to freeing Muslims held captive unjustly.

6. People in debt (al-gharimin)

• People with debts they cannot pay, taken for a lawful need. Qabisa came to Nabi ﷺ in debt, and Nabi ﷺ said: wait until the sadaqah comes, and we will give you from it⁶.
• Today: someone crushed by medical bills, or who fell into debt after losing their job. Many scholars allow you to pay the lender directly on their behalf.

7. In the way of Allah (fi sabilillah)

• Most scholars of the four schools say this means people who go out to fight in Allah's path as volunteers, with no salary⁷.
• Some scholars today stretch it to Islamic teaching and da'wah. Most do not stretch it to buildings (see below).

8. The stranded traveler (ibn as-sabil)

• A traveler who is stuck, with no money to get home, even if they are rich at home.
• Today: someone whose wallet and cards were stolen on a trip, and who cannot reach their own money.

Do I have to give to all eight?

• Hanafis, Malikis and Hanbalis: no. You may give all your zakat to one group, even to one person.
• Shafi'is: spread it among the groups that are present where you are.
• For most people today, the poor and needy are where most zakat goes.

Who may not receive your zakat

A wife giving zakat to her poor husband

Zaynab, the wife of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud, asked if she could spend from her charity on her husband and the orphans in her care. Nabi ﷺ said yes, and that she would get two rewards: one for family ties and one for the charity¹¹.

• Shafi'is, and many other scholars, allow a wife to give her zakat to her poor husband, based on this hadith.
• Abu Hanifa did not allow it, because a husband and wife share the benefit of each other's money. Some scholars also say Zaynab's charity was voluntary, not zakat.
• If this is your case, follow the view of a scholar you trust. Both views are held by real scholars.

Who counts as rich?

• Hanafis: anyone who owns the nisab (the minimum amount for zakat) beyond their basic needs.
• Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis: anyone who has enough for their needs. So someone with a little savings can still be poor.

The family of Nabi ﷺ

• This means the Banu Hashim: the families of Ali, Abbas, Ja'far, Aqil and Al-Harith ibn Abdul Muttalib. Today many of them are known as sayyid or sharif.
• When his little grandson Al-Hasan put a date from the charity in his mouth, Nabi ﷺ told him to spit it out: do you not know that we do not eat charity?¹².
• Some later scholars allow them zakat today when they are in real need, since the fund that once supported them is gone. Ask a scholar you trust. You can always give them gifts.

Wages are not zakat. You cannot pay your cleaner's or employee's salary from your zakat. Zakat is a gift to someone in need, not payment for work.

Giving to other relatives

Your brothers, sisters, aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews and in-laws may receive your zakat if they are in need. In fact, they are some of the best people to give to.

• Nabi ﷺ said: charity to a poor person is one charity. To a relative it is two: charity, and keeping family ties¹³.
• Some scholars, mainly Hanbalis, add one condition: not a relative you are already legally bound to support, because you would inherit from them. If that may be your case, ask a scholar.

Giving locally, or sending abroad

The basic rule is to give where you live. Zakat is taken from the rich of a place and given to the poor of that place¹⁴.

• Hanafis allow sending it elsewhere to relatives, or to people in much greater need.
• Shafi'is are the strictest: keep it in your own area if people there can receive it.
• Today, many scholars allow sending zakat abroad, for example to a famine or a war zone, when the need there is much greater.

If you are not sure, follow a scholar you trust. Both choices are valid.

Using charities and online platforms

Giving through someone you trust is fine. Ibn Umar gave his zakat al-fitr to the people appointed to collect it¹⁵. But a charity carries your amanah (a trust). Check:

• Does it keep zakat separate from general donations, and give it only to people in the eight groups?
• How fast does it pass the money on? Many scholars say a private charity is acting as your helper. Your zakat is fully paid when it reaches the poor, not when it leaves your bank.
• How much does it take from zakat for running costs? A good charity will tell you plainly.

On a giving website, choose the zakat option, not general donation. And make the intention in your heart that this is your zakat.

Can zakat build a masjid?

Most scholars say no.

• Allah named people, not projects. Zakat must reach a person in one of the eight groups. Hanafis say clearly that it must be handed over to a person to own.
• A few scholars today allow it. The safe and common view: build masjids with sadaqah, not zakat.

A masjid built with sadaqah is sadaqah jariyah, a reward that keeps flowing after you die¹⁶.

Do I have to tell them it is zakat?

No. What matters is your intention when you give. You do not have to say "this is zakat".

• You can call it a gift, or say nothing at all. This protects their dignity. Giving in secret is better¹⁷.
• Make the intention when you give. Money you gave earlier as a normal gift cannot be counted as zakat later.

What if they turn out not to be eligible?

Do your best to check. If you honestly thought someone was poor and they were not, many scholars, including the Hanafis, say your zakat still counts. Others say pay it again if you can.

Nabi ﷺ told of a man whose charity went by mistake to a thief, then to a rich man. He was told each gift might still change that person for the better¹⁸.

Zakat al-Fitr

Zakat al-fitr is a small, separate zakat at the end of Ramadan. It is not the 2.5 percent on savings. It is a fixed amount of food for each person.

Nabi ﷺ made it a duty on every Muslim, male or female, young or old, and told people to give it before they go out to the Eid prayer¹⁹.

It has two aims. It cleans the fasting person from idle and bad talk, and it is food for the poor²⁰. No one should be hungry on Eid.

Who pays

• Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis: anyone who has food for themselves and their family for the day and night of Eid, with some left over.
• Hanafis: anyone who owns the nisab beyond their basic needs. It does not have to be held for a year.
• The head of the house pays for those he supports. Ibn Umar paid for every young and old person in his care, even the children²¹.
• The husband pays for his wife, say Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis. Hanafis say she pays her own if she can, though he may pay it for her.

How much

• One sa' of food per person. A sa' is an old measure, about four double handfuls. Today that is about 2.5 to 3 kg of a staple food.
• The Companions gave a sa' of food, barley, dates, dried cheese or raisins²². Today: rice, flour, dates, or your local staple.
• Hanafis say half a sa' is enough for wheat or wheat flour. People in the Companions' time began giving half a sa' of wheat²³.

When

• Best: on the morning of Eid, before the Eid prayer²⁴.
• A day or two early is fine. The Companions did this²⁵. It gives the poor time to prepare.
• Shafi'is allow it from the start of Ramadan. Hanafis allow it even earlier.
• After the Eid prayer, it counts only as normal sadaqah²⁶. If you missed it, still pay it as soon as you can. It is a debt that does not go away.

Food or money?

• Hanafis: giving its value in money is allowed, and often better, because the poor can buy what they need.
• Malikis, Shafi'is and Hanbalis: give food, as Nabi ﷺ and the Companions did.
• Many scholars today allow money where food is not useful to the poor. You may follow either view. Many charities take your money and buy food for you, which fits both views.

Who receives it

• The poor and needy, first of all. It is "food for the poor"²⁷.
• The same people who cannot receive your zakat (parents, children, wife, the rich) cannot receive your zakat al-fitr.

Sadaqah: charity with no limit

Zakat is the part you must give. Sadaqah is everything above it: any charity, any time, any amount, to anyone in need.

• It grows. One grain given in Allah's way grows seven ears, with a hundred grains in each²⁸.
• It does not make you poorer. Nabi ﷺ said: charity does not decrease wealth²⁹.
• Small is fine. Protect yourself from the Fire, even with half a date³⁰.
• The angels pray for you. Every morning an angel says: O Allah, give more to the one who spends³¹.
• Your family counts. Money you spend on your own family, hoping for Allah's reward, is charity³².
• No money needed. Your smile to your brother is charity. Showing someone the way, and moving a stone from the road, are charity³³.
• Non-Muslims too. Asma's mother, who was not Muslim, came to visit her. Nabi ﷺ told Asma: yes, be good to your mother³⁴.

Sadaqah jariyah: charity that keeps flowing

Nabi ﷺ said: when a person dies, their deeds stop, except three: a charity that keeps going, knowledge that people benefit from, and a good child who prays for them³⁵.

Examples: a water well, helping build a masjid or a school, paying for a student to learn, or a copy of the Quran that people read.

For more on giving, including its manners, see our Zakat and Giving page.

Common questions

Can I pay my sister's rent from my zakat?

Yes, if she cannot cover her basic needs. A sister is not someone you must support the way you support your parents or children, so she can receive your zakat, and you get two rewards³⁶. Give the money to her, or pay the landlord with her agreement. You do not have to tell her it is zakat.

My friend is drowning in debt. Can I help him with zakat?

Yes. People in debt they cannot pay are one of the eight groups³⁷. The debt should be for a lawful need, and he should truly be unable to pay it. You can give him the money, or many scholars allow paying the lender directly.

My cousin back home is poor. Can I send her my zakat?

Yes. Sending zakat abroad to relatives in need is allowed by Hanafis and by many scholars today. Just not to your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren: support them from your own money, not zakat.

Can I give zakat to a student?

Yes, if they cannot cover their needs. Scholars say a full-time student who has no time to earn enough may take zakat as one of the poor. Many scholars today allow it to cover fees and books as well.

The masjid is raising money for a new building. Can I use my zakat?

Most scholars say no. Give to the building from your sadaqah, and it becomes sadaqah jariyah for you³⁸. Many masjids also run a separate zakat fund for poor families. Give your zakat there.

I forgot to pay zakat al-fitr before the Eid prayer.

Pay it as soon as you remember. It counts as sadaqah now³⁹, but it is still owed. Next year, pay a day or two before Eid so you do not forget.