Islamic Fiqh > Zakat > To whom not to give zakat > Zakat al-fitr: forbidden recipients and intention
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Updated on 24 September 2026 at 4:12 PM
This section of the fiqh encyclopedia (the zakat al-fitr chapter, Book of Fasting) examines the persons to whom zakat al-fitr may not be paid: the rich, the slave owned by another, and the disbeliever. It then addresses the condition of intention in discharging this zakat, and finally the case of one who discharges it on behalf of another without his permission. For each question, the mawsuah presents the consensus or the disagreement of the schools, the evidence from the Quran, the Sunnah and the rational arguments, together with their references in the classical works.
The scholars agreed that zakah is not lawful for the rich person, because Allah made it for the poor and the needy, and the rich person is not included among them (Bada'i' al-Sana'i', 2/48; Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, 2/348; al-Muntaqa by al-Baji, 2/151; Mawahib al-Jalil, 3/225-226; al-Sharh al-Saghir, 1/425; al-Ifsah, 1/373; Bidayat al-Mujtahid, 1/380; Jawahir al-'Uqud, 1/396; Majmu' al-Fatawa, 11/20; Ma'alim al-Sunan by al-Khattabi, 2/227; al-Majmu', 6/176; al-Mughni, 3/440; Sharh Ghayat al-Muntaha, 2/135; Sharh Muntaha al-Iradat, 1/424; al-Insaf, 3/223). They supported this with the Quran, the Sunnah and the rational argument.
First, the Quran. Allah, the Most High, says:
"Charities are only for the poor and the needy"
Surah At-Tawbah, 60
The point of evidence in this verse is that Allah informs in it that the charities belong to the poor and the needy, and that the rich person is not included among them; it is therefore not permissible to direct zakah to him.
Second, the Sunnah, through three hadiths. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Muadh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen and said to him:
"Call them to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon them in every day and night. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has made a charity obligatory upon them in their wealth, to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor."Authentic hadith cited previously in the mawsuah, reported by al-Bukhari and Muslim
Ubayd Allah ibn Adiyy ibn al-Khiyar reported: two men informed me that they came to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) during the Farewell Pilgrimage while he was distributing charity, and asked him for some of it. He raised his gaze and then lowered it, saw that they were two strong-built men and said:
"If you wish, I will give you, but there is no share in this charity for the rich, nor for the strong earner."Authentic hadith, reported by Abu Dawud (1633), an-Nasa'i (2598) and Ahmad (18001, 231122)
Abdullah ibn Amr reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Charity is not lawful for the rich, nor for the strong who is sound and able to earn a living."Authentic hadith, reported by Abu Dawud (1634), at-Tirmidhi (652, 653) and an-Nasa'i (2597)
These hadiths are explicit: charity is not lawful for the rich, and it is a right of the poor.
Third, the rational argument: the rich person's taking of it prevents it from reaching its rightful people and undermines the wisdom of its obligation, which is enriching the poor by means of it (al-Mughni, 3/446-447).
The jurists do not disagree that the zakah payer (muzakki) may not give his zakah to a slave owned by another, absolutely, whether his master is rich or poor. Only Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him) allowed handing it to the slave of another whose master is poor and burdened with a debt that overwhelms him (al-Mabsut, 2/164 and 3/39; Tuhfat al-Fuqaha, 1/301; Sharh Fath al-Qadir, 2/272; al-Hawi al-Kabir, 10/519; Kashshaf al-Qina', 2/289; al-Kafi, 1/337; Sharh al-Zarkashi, 2/433; Mawahib al-Jalil, 3/221).
The vizier Ibn Hubayrah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: they differed concerning the slave owned by another. Malik, al-Shafi'i and Ahmad said: it is likewise not permissible to hand zakah over to him, absolutely. Abu Hanifah said: it is not handed to the slave of another if his master is rich; if he is poor, it may be handed to him (al-Ifsah, 1/379).
The scholars demonstrated the invalidity of the payer's giving his zakah to the slave of another, absolutely, through the rational argument, which has two aspects.
As for Imam Abu Hanifah (may Allah have mercy on him), he supported his position, namely the lawfulness of handing zakah to the slave of another when his master is poor and burdened with an overwhelming debt, with the rational argument that if the slave is burdened with such a debt, his master no longer owns his earnings, like the mukatab (a slave contracted for manumission); paying zakah to him is therefore permissible. And because he falls under the generality of the poor (Sharh Fath al-Qadir, 2/272).
After the jurists agreed that zakah on wealth is not to be paid to a disbeliever, they differed over whether it is permissible to give a disbeliever from zakat al-fitr.
The first opinion: it is not permissible to give a disbeliever from zakat al-fitr, absolutely, whether he is at war with the Muslims (harbi) or a protected non-Muslim under their rule (dhimmi). This is the madhhab of the Malikis, the Shafi'is and the Hanbalis, as well as Abu Yusuf among the Hanafis (Bada'i' al-Sana'i', 2/49; al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi, 3/111; al-Hidayah Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi, 1/113; al-Amwal by Abu Ubayd, 1/729; al-Sharh al-Saghir, 1/46; al-Majmu', 6/218; Tarh al-Tathrib, 4/62; al-Hawi al-Kabir, 3/387; al-Mughni, 4/62; Kashshaf al-Qina', 2/289; al-Ifsah, 1/371).
Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: they differed concerning zakat al-fitr... Malik, al-Layth, Ahmad and Abu Thawr said: it is not given to them (al-Majmu', 2/122).
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: it is not permissible to hand it to one to whom zakah on wealth may not be given, and it is not permissible to give it to a dhimmi; Malik, al-Layth, al-Shafi'i and Abu Thawr said so (al-Mughni, 4/12).
The majority of scholars demonstrated the invalidity of giving a disbeliever from zakat al-fitr, whether he is a dhimmi or a harbi, through the Sunnah and the rational argument.
First, the Sunnah. Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him and his father) reported that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) sent Muadh (may Allah be pleased with him) to Yemen and said to him:
"Call them to testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that I am the messenger of Allah. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has made five prayers obligatory upon them in every day and night. If they obey you in that, inform them that Allah has made a charity obligatory upon them in their wealth, to be taken from their rich and returned to their poor."Reported by al-Bukhari (1331) and Muslim (19)
This hadith establishes that zakah is taken from the rich Muslims and given to their poor, that is, the poor Muslims. Paying zakah to a disbeliever is paying it to someone other than the one designated by the Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him); it is a deviation from the stated category, and that is why it is not permissible.
Qadi Iyad (may Allah have mercy on him) said: this hadith establishes that zakah is not paid to the disbeliever, because the pronoun in "their poor" refers back to the Muslims, whether we speak of the specificity of the land or the generality (Fath al-Bari, 3/360; Tuhfat al-Ahwadhi, 3/209).
Second, the rational argument, which has several angles:
Imam al-Mawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the one to whom charity is paid was ordained poor, and the one from whom charity is taken, rich. Since charity is only taken from a rich Muslim, it follows that it is only paid to a poor Muslim (al-Hawi al-Kabir, 3/387).
The second opinion: it is permissible to pay zakat al-fitr to a dhimmi disbeliever, though paying it to the Muslims is better and more complete. This is the view of Abu Hanifah and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani (Bada'i' al-Sana'i', 2/49; al-Mabsut by al-Sarakhsi, 3/111; al-Hidayah Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi, 1/113; Tabyin al-Haqa'iq, 1/300; al-Jawharah al-Nayyirah, 1/491; Jawahir al-'Uqud, 1/395; al-Bahr al-Ra'iq, 2/261; al-Durr al-Mukhtar, 2/366).
Al-Kasani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: as for charities other than zakat al-fitr, expiations and vows, there is no doubt that directing them to the poor Muslims is better, because directing them to them is a support for them in obedience. May they be directed to the people of the dhimmah? Abu Hanifah and Muhammad said: it is permissible; Abu Yusuf said: it is not permissible (Bada'i' al-Sana'i', 2/49).
They demonstrated the lawfulness of giving zakat al-fitr to the dhimmi disbeliever through the Quran, the Sunnah and the rational argument.
First, the Quran. Allah, the Most High, says:
"Allah does not forbid you from being kind and just to those who did not fight you because of religion and did not drive you out of your homes. Indeed, Allah loves those who act justly"
Surah Al-Mumtahanah, 8
Al-Kasani (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the apparent meaning of this text indicates the permissibility of directing zakah to them, because paying zakah is kindness toward them; however, kindness by way of zakah is not intended, as established by the hadith of Muadh (may Allah be pleased with him). Zakah may not be directed to the harbi, because that would be support for him in fighting us, which is not permissible; and this meaning does not exist in the case of the dhimmi (Bada'i' al-Sana'i', 2/49).
Allah, the Most High, also says:
"If you disclose your charities, they are well; but if you hide them and give them to the poor, it is better for you, and He will remove from you some of your misdeeds. And Allah is well Aware of what you do"
Surah Al-Baqarah, 271
This noble verse establishes the lawfulness of paying charities to the poor: the word "charities" is general and includes, by its generality, zakat al-fitr, and the verse does not distinguish between one poor person and another; likewise, it did not restrict this to Islam. It is therefore permissible to pay it to the dhimmi (Bada'i' al-Sana'i', 2/49).
Second, the Sunnah. Sa'id ibn Jubayr reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Do not give charity except to the people of your religion." Then Allah, the Most High, revealed:
"Not upon you is their guidance, but Allah guides whom He wills. Whatever good you spend is for yourselves, and you do not spend except seeking the countenance of Allah. And whatever you spend of good will be repaid to you in full, and you will not be wronged"
Surah Al-Baqarah, 272
Then he (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
"Give charity to the people of the religions."Reported by Ibn Abi Shaybah in his Musannaf (2/401, no. 10398) and Ibn Zanjawayh in al-Amwal (5/32), mursal
Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib reported that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) gave charity to a family of Jews as zakah, and it continued to flow to them:
"He gave charity to a family among the Jews as charity, and it kept flowing to them."Reported by Abu Ubayd in al-Amwal (1/728, no. 1993) and Ibn Zanjawayh in al-Amwal (5/33), mursal
These two hadiths establish the lawfulness of charity to the people of the dhimmah. As for the first, it is by the Prophet's saying (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him): "Give charity to the people of all religions," which includes the people of the dhimmah; charity to them is kindness toward them, and this is realized in zakat al-fitr, regarding which we have not been forbidden, so it is permissible.
Third, the rational argument, which has two aspects:
The generality of jurists agreed on the requirement of intention in zakat al-fitr: it may not be discharged without intention. Ibn Hubayrah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: they agreed that discharging zakah is not valid without intention (al-Ifsah, 1/358).
Al-Mawardi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: discharging zakah is not valid without intention; whoever discharges it without intention is not absolved. This is the view of all the scholars, except what is reported from al-Awza'i, that its discharge does not need an intention (al-Hawi al-Kabir, 3/178).
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the madhhab of the generality of jurists is that intention is a condition in discharging zakah, except what is reported from al-Awza'i, who said: intention is not required for it (al-Mughni, 3/417). This was detailed previously in the Book of Zakah (al-Mabsut, 3/34; Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, 2/268; Mawahib al-Jalil, 2/375; al-Kafi, 1/99; al-Majmu', 6/163; Mughni al-Muhtaj, 1/414; Nihayat al-Muhtaj, 3/137; al-Hawi al-Kabir, 3/178; al-Mughni, 3/417; al-Ifsah, 1/358).
The jurists, however, differed over when the intention must take place.
The Hanafis explicitly required that it accompany the discharge, even by legal ruling: if one discharges without intention and then forms the intention while the wealth still remains in the poor person's ownership, it is valid, unlike intending after the poor person has consumed or sold it, which does not suffice. By "discharge" is meant handing over to the poor or to the imam; since zakah may be discharged in successive installments, recalling the intention at each installment would be burdensome, so a single intention at the time of setting it aside suffices, to prevent hardship (Hashiyat Ibn Abidin, 2/268).
According to the Malikis, the intention for zakah is required at the time of setting it aside or at the time of handing it to its rightful recipient, and either one suffices. If one forms no intention at the setting aside or the handing over, but only after or before, it does not suffice (Hashiyat al-Dasuqi, 1/500).
According to the Shafi'is, there are two positions on the lawfulness of forming the intention in advance of distributing the zakah. The more correct, as al-Nawawi said, is that it is accepted, like fasting regarding the hardship of requiring it to coincide; because the aim is filling the poor person's need. On this basis, the intention of the principal at the time of handing it to the agent suffices; on the second, the agent's intention is required at the time of handing it to the poor. And even if he appoints an agent and confers the intention upon him, it is valid (Rawdat al-Talibin, 2/209).
According to the Hanbalis: if the intention precedes the discharge by a short interval, it is valid; if it is long, it is not, like other acts of worship (al-Mughni, 3/417; al-Ifsah, 1/358).
It is clear from the foregoing that zakah may only be discharged with the intention of the one paying it, which occurs only through his act, or through his act and his permission to discharge it. If one discharges it for those whose maintenance he owes, without their permission, it is valid; if he discharges it for a stranger without his permission, it is not permissible.
Al-Marghinani, the Hanafi (may Allah have mercy on him), said: if he discharges it for them, meaning the zakat al-fitr, or for his wife, without their command, it suffices him by istihsan (juristic preference), because permission is customarily established (al-Hidayah Sharh Bidayat al-Mubtadi, 1/116).
Al-Babarti (may Allah have mercy on him) said: his saying "if he discharges it for them" is apparent; it is istihsan, whereas analogy requires that it be invalid, as when he pays the zakah on wealth without their permission. The basis of the istihsan is that the charity involves a burden, so it may fall away through another's payment of it, even if explicit permission does not exist (al-'Inayah Sharh al-Hidayah, 3/231; al-Jawharah al-Nayyirah, 2/5).
Al-Kharashi (may Allah have mercy on him) said in Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil: if his family discharge it on his behalf, it suffices him. He was alluding to his saying: "its discharge by his family on his behalf is valid," when he leaves with them what may be paid from it, trusts them and instructs them; al-Tawdih adds: or that it is their habit (Sharh Mukhtasar Khalil, 2/232).
Al-Qarafi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: if his family discharge it and that is their habit or his command to them, it suffices him; otherwise it is paid despite the disagreement, like the one who manumits a slave on behalf of another without his permission or knowledge, and counting it as valid is better (al-Dhakhirah, 3/158).
Al-Hattab (may Allah have mercy on him) said: validity was preferred by istihsan in al-Tiraz, even if he does not know of it, does not command them to do so, and it is not his habit. Its text: if the traveler does not discharge it and his family discharge it on his behalf, the book says it suffices him; this takes two forms. The first: he commanded them to do so, or it is their habit with him: it suffices without dispute, as if he had deputized them. The second: he did not command them and it is not his habit with them: this is a matter of disagreement, like the one who manumits a slave on behalf of another without his knowledge or permission, and counting it as valid is better (Mawahib al-Jalil, 2/374).
Imam al-Nawawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: our companions said: if a person pays the fitrah for a stranger without his permission, it does not suffice him, without disagreement, because it is an act of worship and does not fall away from the one obligated without his permission. If he permits him and he pays it on his behalf, it suffices him, just as if he said to someone: pay my debt, and just as if he deputized him to pay the zakah of his wealth or to slaughter his sacrificial animal. If a person has a young child of means, such that the child's fitrah is not obligatory upon him, and the father pays the child's fitrah from his own wealth, it is permissible without disagreement: Qadi Abu al-Tayyib, al-Bandaniji, al-Baghawi and the companions declared it explicitly, because he may independently transfer ownership to his young child. If the child is grown and of sound mind, it is not valid except with his permission, because he may not independently transfer ownership on his behalf; the grandfather is like the father, and the insane person like the child. Al-Baghawi said: if the guardian pays the fitrah of the child and the insane person from his own wealth voluntarily, then if he is a father or grandfather it is valid, as if he transferred ownership of that to them and then undertook the payment on their behalf from what he had transferred to them; if he is an executor or a guardian, it is not valid except with the judge's permission; once he permits it, it is valid, as if the child had acquired it from him and authorized him to discharge it. All of this is agreed upon among our companions, and he reported it from the companions (al-Majmu', 6/115).
Al-Mardawi (may Allah have mercy on him) said: if he pays the fitrah of one whose fitrah is not obligatory upon him with his permission, it suffices; otherwise it does not. Abu Bakr al-Ajurri said: this is the view of the jurists of the Muslims (al-Insaf, 3/175; see also al-Furu', 2/402; al-Mubdi', 2/392).
Ibn Qudamah (may Allah have mercy on him) said: the one whose fitrah is obligatory upon another, such as the wife or the poor kinsman: if he discharges it for himself with the permission of the one upon whom it is obligatory, it is valid without any disagreement we know of, because he is his substitute. If he discharges it without his permission, there are two positions. The first: it suffices him, because he discharged his own fitrah, like that which is obligatory upon himself. The second: it does not suffice him, because he discharged what was obligatory upon another without his permission, which is invalid, like the one who discharges it for a stranger (al-Mughni, 4/59).
Book of Fasting.