Zakat is distributed to the following eight categories:
NOTE: The following definitions
are according to the Maliki school of thought with
notes on the Shafi'i & Hanafi schools. Information
on the Hanbali school will Insha Allah be provided
later.
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The poor (Fakir): A person
whose total wealth and possessions except
for his shelter and servant, if sold, are
not enough to support him and his family dependents
for one year. Support here means: adequate
shelter, food, clothes and all of life. s
necessities. However; a poor is also defined
based on what is customary in each culture
[Sidi Hamza Yusuf from his sheikh: Haddameen].
* The Shafi'i school of thought defines
the Poor person as someone who does not
have enough to suffice himself or what he
has is insufficient to sustain him to the
end of his probable life expectancy if it
were distributed over the probable amount
of remaining time; insufficient meaning
it is less than half of what he needs and
is either unable to earn his living by work
suitable to him or if he can earn a living
but attainment of knowledge of Shari'ah
(not extra devotions) prevents his doing
so. Also someone far from his money in terms
of common acknowledgement is also eligible
for Zakat.
* The Hanafi school of thought agrees with
the Maliki definition of the Poor person.
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* The
Hanafi school of thought agrees with the Maliki
definition of the Poor person.
The indigent (Miskeen): A person who does
not own any thing or whose hands are tied
down and can not provide for himself or
his family.
* The Shafi'i school defines the Indigent
as those short of money, meaning someone
who has something to spend for his needs
but it is not enough. The considerations
applicable to the Poor person also apply
to someone short of money.
* The Hanafi school of thought agrees with
the Maliki definition of the Indigent person.
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** In
Summary: The Maliki and the Hanafi Schools
of Thought are in agreement about the
definition of the Poor and the Indigent and
that the Indigent is more needy than the Poor
which is the exact opposite of the Shafi'i
opinion.
The soldier (Mujahed): Those fighting for
the sake of Allah
Most
High , meaning people engaged in Islamic
military operations for whom no salary has
been allotted in the army roster. In the
Maliki school of thought a person fighting
for Allah
is given Zakat money even if he or she is
considered affluent.
* The Shafi'i school of thought agrees
with the Maliki definition of those fighting
for Allah.
* The Hanafi school of thought states that
a person fighting for Allah
is given Zakat money only if he or she is
poor.
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The indentured
servant: "Those purchasing their freedom":
To free a bondsman. A bondsman is given enough
money to purchase his or her freedom if he
or she does not have the means to do so. *
There is no difference of opinion in this
category in the Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanafi
schools.
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The Zakat
workers: Those are the Zakat collectors, guardians,
writers, and distributors working for the
Imam (Islamic Magistrate). It is recommended
that the Imam dispatch upright Muslims who
know the rulings of Zakat, and who are not
of the Hashimi or Muttalibi clans of Quraysh.
* The Shafi'i school of thought agrees
with the Maliki definition on Zakat workers.
* The Hanafi school of thought states that
the Imam gives the Zakat workers salaries
according to the amount of work they contribute.
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The indebted
one: To pay off the loans of a free Muslim
who owes loans from permissible means and
the loans were for permissible unextravagant
expenditures and excluding loans resulted
from not paying Zakat or an owed expiation.
* The Shafi'i opinion defines the indebted
one as a person who incurs debts 1) in order
to settle trouble (of life or property)
even if affluent, or 2) to support himself
or his dependents if poor but not if affluent,
or 3) by becoming a guarantor for another
person and neither can pay off the debt.
* The Hanafi opinion states that the loan
is paid from Zakat for the poor person in
debt. |
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The one
whose heart needs drawing near: Either a person
who is very close to convert to Islam and
that is particularly important when the Muslims
are weak and an increase in their numbers
would be of benefit or an individual whose
conversion would be a victory for the Muslims.
This also applies to those new in Islam whose
hearts have not been firmly planted in faith.
* The Shafi'i opinion states that if they
are non-Muslims, they are not given Zakat,
but if Muslims, then they may be given it.
Those to be reconciled include 1) the chief
personages of a people whose Islam may be
expected to improve, or whose peers may
be expected to enter Islam or 2) the heads
of a people who collect Zakat for us from
Muslims living near them who refuse to pay
it, or who fight an enemy for us at considerable
expense and trouble to themselves.
* The Hanafi opinion will Insha
Allah be provided later. |
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The needy
travelers: Any person who is away from his
or her homeland and needs assistance to return
back even if the person has wealth in his
or her homeland. The traveler is given what
is enough to reach his destination including
food and shelter expenses. * The Shafi'i
opinion is the same as the Maliki opinion.
* The Hanafi opinion will Insha
Allah be provided later. |
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Paying Zakat to
Recipients
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The Maliki opinion is that the Zakat must
be distributed locally unless the needy in a different
place that is beyond the traveler's shortening distance
[i.e. 48 miles] are in more need than the local
needy.
The Shafi'i opinion also states that Zakat must
be distributed locally unless it is being distributed
by the Imam in which case he may give it to recipients
in a different place. If none of the above mentioned
eight categories exists locally (i.e. the town
in which Zakat was collected), then the Zakat
should be distributed in the nearest town. Each
category of recipients must receive an equal share.
If one of the categories does not exist in one
town, their eighth is distributed over the other
categories such that each of them gets one-seventh
and so on. A person who qualifies as a member
of two or more of the above categories is only
given Zakat for one of them.
The Hanafi opinion is that it is Makruh
[offensive] to send the Zakat to other places
unless it is for needy relatives or the people
of that other place are in more need than the
people of his town, then it is permissible without
being Makruh.
The above document was prepared by Sidi Basel
Dayyani who reviewed the material with Shaikh
Abdullah ould Ahmedna. Information on the Hanafi
school was provided by Tareef Arabi. The sources
used were:
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Ar-Resala by Ibn abi Zayd
al-Qayrouni (Maliki) |
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Tabyeen
al-Masalik li Tadreeb as-Salik ila Aqrab al-Masalik
by 'Allama Shaikh Abdul Aziz Hamad al-Mubarak
al-Ihsaai commentary by Shaikh Muhammad ash-Shaybani
ash-Shanqiti (Maliki) |
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The
Reliance of the Traveler by Ahmad
ibn Naqib al-Misri translated by Noah Ha Mim
Keller (Shafi'i) |
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Al-Ikhtiar
(Hanafi) |
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Maraaqi
Al-Falaah (Hanafi) |
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