Short answer
Yes, if they seem genuinely in need and are Muslim, and in the Hanafi school it counts even if you later learn otherwise, as long as you judged in good faith. But many people who beg are not eligible, and the most deserving poor often do not ask, so it is better to seek them out. Small change for people asking in the street is best given as sadaqah.
Zakat given to someone who asks and whom the giver believes to be poor is valid. Asking is not lawful for someone who has a day's food or can earn it, and such a person may not take zakat if he owns the nisab beyond his needs.
The four schools agree on this.
Explanation
The Prophet ﷺ said the truly poor person is not the one who goes round the people and is turned away with a date or two, but the one who does not have enough, whom nobody notices so as to give him charity, and who does not stand up and ask. The Quran describes such people as looking self-sufficient because of their restraint.
So zakat given to someone who begs is valid if, as far as you can tell, they are a Muslim in need. In the Hanafi school, if you judged in good faith and they turn out to have money, your zakat still counts; see what if you gave zakat to the wrong person.
But think about where your zakat does the most good:
- Organised begging and people who beg as a trade are common in many cities.
- Asking for money to build up wealth is a sin for the one who asks; the Prophet ﷺ warned that such a person is asking for embers of fire.
- Needy relatives, families you know, and reliable charities are usually safer places for zakat.
None of this means turning people away harshly. The Quran says not to repel the one who asks. Give a little sadaqah, some food, or at least a kind word. Keep your zakat for people whose need you can be more sure of. The four schools agree on these principles.
The evidence
Quran, Surah Al-Baqara 2:273
لِلْفُقَرَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًۭا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ ٱلْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَآءَ مِنَ ٱلتَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَٰهُمْ لَا يَسْـَٔلُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ إِلْحَافًۭا ۗ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ ﴿٢٧٣﴾
[Charity is] for the poor who have been restricted for the cause of Allah, unable to move about in the land. An ignorant [person] would think them self-sufficient because of their restraint, but you will know them by their [characteristic] sign. They do not ask people persistently [or at all]. And whatever you spend of good - indeed, Allah is Knowing of it.
Many of the truly poor do not ask.
Quran, Surah Ad-Dhuhaa 93:10
وَأَمَّا ٱلسَّآئِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ ﴿١٠﴾
And as for the petitioner, do not repel [him].
Even when you do not give zakat, do not turn askers away harshly.
Sahih al-Bukhari 1479
Sahih... ولكن المسكين الذي لا يجد غنى يغنيه ولا يفطن به فيتصدق عليه ...
"But the poor person is the one who does not have enough to meet his needs, and nobody notices him so as to give him charity."
The most deserving poor are often those who do not beg.
Sahih Muslim 1041
Sahih... من سأل الناس أموالهم تكثرا فإنما يسأل جمرا ...
"Whoever asks people for their wealth to increase his own is only asking for embers."
Begging without need is forbidden for the one who asks.
Where the ruling is recorded
- al-Durr al-Mukhtar with Radd al-Muhtar, Kitab al-Zakat, end of the chapter on the recipients. Asking is not lawful for one who has a day's food; zakat given to an asker thought to be poor is valid.
- al-Hidaya, Kitab al-Zakat, chapter on those to whom zakat may and may not be paid. The giver may rely on his reasonable judgement of who is poor.
Checked by our team. For a more accurate answer to your own situation, consult a scholar. Quran translation by Sahih International. Hadith Arabic from the standard editions of the six books and the Muwatta, with gradings as recorded there; the English is our own rendering. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.