Who can receive zakat? Eligibility checker
Answer five quick questions about the person you want to give to. We show whether your zakat can go to them, which of the eight categories in the Quran they fall under, and where the madhhabs differ.
Nothing you choose leaves this device. This is guidance to help you understand the rules; for your own case, ask a scholar you trust.
Guide
Who is eligible for zakat, the eight categories
Zakat can only be given to the eight kinds of people Allah names in Surah At-Tawbah: the poor, the needy, those who collect it, those whose hearts are to be won over, freeing captives, people in debt, in the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveller. Most zakat today goes to the first two, the poor and the needy. It cannot go to your parents, children or spouse, to someone who owns the nisab, or to a building.
إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ
Innamas sadaqaatu lilfuqaraaa'i walmasaakeeni wal 'aamileena 'alaihaa wal mu'al lafati quloobuhum wa fir riqaabi walghaarimeena wa fee sabeelil laahi wabnis sabeeli fareedatam minal laah; wal laahu 'Aleemun Hakeem
"Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise."
Quran 9:60, translation by Sahih International.
| # | In the Quran | Who it covers |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | الفقراء al-fuqara | The poor In the Hanafi school, someone who owns something, but less than the nisab beyond their basic needs. |
| 2 | المساكين al-masakin | The needy In the Hanafi school, someone who owns nothing at all, worse off than the poor. (The Shafi'i and Hanbali schools define the two the other way round.) |
| 3 | العاملين عليها al-amilin alayha | Those who collect it People appointed by a Muslim authority or zakat fund to collect and distribute zakat. They are paid for their work, even if they are wealthy. |
| 4 | المؤلفة قلوبهم al-muallafah qulubuhum | Those whose hearts are won over In the Hanafi school this share ended after the Prophet ﷺ, in the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs, because Islam no longer needed it. The other three schools keep it for when it is needed. |
| 5 | في الرقاب fir-riqab | Freeing captives Helping a slave buy their freedom. Many scholars include ransoming Muslim captives. It rarely applies today. |
| 6 | الغارمين al-gharimin | People in debt Someone whose debts, once paid, would leave them with less than the nisab, as long as the debt was not taken for something sinful. |
| 7 | في سبيل الله fi sabilillah | In the cause of Allah In the Hanafi school, a poor person striving for Allah, such as a soldier without means, a pilgrim stranded on Hajj or a student of sacred knowledge. The zakat is still given to the person. |
| 8 | ابن السبيل ibn as-sabil | The stranded traveller A traveller cut off from their money, even if wealthy at home. They take only what they need to reach home. |
Who cannot receive zakat
- Your parents and grandparents, and your children and grandchildren. You are responsible for them, and giving to them is like keeping the money in the family. Support them from your other wealth instead. All four schools agree.
- Your husband or wife. A husband cannot give his zakat to his wife in any school. For a wife giving to a poor husband, see the differences below.
- Someone who owns the nisab beyond their basic needs and debts, unless they are a zakat worker or a stranded traveller.
- Banu Hashim, the family of the Prophet ﷺ: the descendants of Ali, Abbas, Jafar, Aqil and al-Harith ibn Abd al-Muttalib. The Prophet ﷺ said that sadaqah "is not fitting for the family of Muhammad, for it is the impurity of people's wealth".1 Help them with gifts and voluntary charity.
- A non-Muslim. The Prophet ﷺ told Muadh that zakat is "taken from their rich and returned to their poor", meaning the Muslims.2 Voluntary sadaqah can be given to anyone.
- A building or project, such as building a masjid, school or well, because no person is given ownership of the zakat.
- Your own employee as part of their wages. You may give zakat to a poor employee as a separate gift.
Relatives who can receive it
Brothers, sisters, nephews, nieces, aunts, uncles, cousins and in-laws can receive your zakat if they are eligible, and they are the best people to give it to. The Prophet ﷺ said: "Charity given to a poor person is charity, and given to a relative it is two things: charity and keeping family ties."3 You do not have to tell them it is zakat.
Where the madhhabs differ
A wife cannot give her zakat to her husband, in the view of Imam Abu Hanifa, because they share each other's benefit. Someone who owns the nisab beyond their needs is considered rich and cannot receive zakat, even if their income is low. The share of "those whose hearts are won over" no longer applies.4
Other madhhabs
- Shafi'i
- A wife may give her zakat to her poor husband, which is also the view of Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, the two students of Abu Hanifa. Their evidence is the hadith of Zaynab, the wife of Ibn Masud, in Sahih al-Bukhari. Wealth that prevents receiving zakat is having enough for one's needs, not owning the nisab. You cannot give to any relative you are obliged to support.
- Maliki, Hanbali
- Someone who does not have enough for a year's needs may receive zakat even if they own the nisab. The share of "those whose hearts are won over" still exists when it is needed. The Hanbali school does not allow giving to a relative you are obliged to support, such as one you would inherit from.
Rules for giving
- The person must be given ownership of it: money in hand, a transfer, food, or a bill or debt paid at their request.
- You do not have to tell them it is zakat. The intention is yours.
- Giving to a zakat fund or charity that pays it to eligible people is fine. Ask whether they keep zakat separate.
- If you made an effort to check and later find the person was not eligible, your zakat still counts, according to Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Muhammad.
- Sahih Muslim, Kitab al-Zakat, from Abd al-Muttalib ibn Rabiah ibn al-Harith.
- Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim, from Ibn Abbas.
- Jami at-Tirmidhi and Sunan an-Nasai, from Salman ibn Amir. At-Tirmidhi graded it hasan.
- Al-Marghinani, al-Hidayah, Kitab al-Zakat, Bab man yajuz daf al-sadaqat ilayh. The other madhhabs' positions are summarised from their standard manuals.
The rulings on this page are pending review by the scholars on our team.
Questions
Good to know
Can I give zakat to my brother or sister?
Yes, if they are eligible: Muslim, not from Banu Hashim, and owning less than the nisab beyond their needs and debts. Giving to relatives earns the reward of charity and of keeping family ties.
Can I give zakat to my parents?
No. Zakat cannot go to your parents, grandparents, children or grandchildren in any of the four schools. Support them from your other money.
Can zakat be given to a non-Muslim?
Not in the Hanafi, Shafi'i, Maliki or Hanbali schools, except that the Maliki and Hanbali schools allow the share of "those whose hearts are won over" when it is needed. Voluntary sadaqah can be given to anyone.
Can I give zakat to a masjid?
Not for building or running the masjid, because zakat must be given to a person who owns it. Give the masjid voluntary sadaqah instead. Zakat collected by the masjid for the poor is fine.
Can a wife give zakat to her husband?
Not according to Imam Abu Hanifa. His students Abu Yusuf and Muhammad, and the Shafi'i school, allow it if the husband is poor. A husband can never give his zakat to his wife.
Can I give all my zakat to one person?
Yes. You do not have to divide it among the eight groups. In the Hanafi school it is disliked to give one poor person the nisab or more at once, unless they are in debt or have a family to support.