The 365 · Verses · Day 101 · Charity
Allah named the eight categories Himself. Zakāh does not go where you choose; it goes where He chose.
Qur'an Q 9:60
۞ إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَـٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَـٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَـٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
“Alms are meant only for the poor, the needy, those who administer them, those whose hearts need winning over, to free slaves and help those in debt, for God's cause, and for travellers in need. This is ordained by God; God is all knowing and wise. (Abdel Haleem)”
Svenska: Offergåvorna är avsedda enbart för de fattiga och de nödställda och för dem som har hand om insamlandet av dem och för att vinna hjärtan [för tron] och för att friköpa människor ur fångenskap och slaveri och [för att lätta] de skuldtyngdas [bördor] och för [kampen för] Guds sak och för vandringsmannen. Detta har Gud föreskrivit; Gud är allvetande, vis. (Knut Bernström)
The story
Ibn Kathir explains each category with hadith. The fuqarāʾ (Day 274 cross-ref) are those whose modesty hides their need. The masākīn are those who make their need visible by going around. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'The needy person is not the one who goes round the people and asks them for a mouthful or two. Rather, the Miskin is he who does not have enough to satisfy his needs and whose condition is not known to others, that others may give him something in charity, and who does not beg of people.' (Bukhārī 1479, Muslim 1039.) On the muʾallafah qulūbuhum: the Prophet ﷺ gave Ṣafwān ibn Umayyah from the Hunayn spoils until Ṣafwān said 'he became the dearest person to me after he had been the most hated.' (Muslim 2313.) On al-ghārimūn: the hadith of Qabīṣah ibn Mukhāriq, who carried a debt to resolve a dispute and was told by the Prophet ﷺ: 'Wait until some alms are brought to us so that we give it to you.' (Muslim 1044.)
In the language
إِنَّمَا (innamā) is the Quran's restrictive particle: 'only.' The verse's opening word means zakāh goes ONLY to these eight; no other categories qualify. فَرِيضَةً (farīḍah) is from f-r-ḍ, the root of fixed obligation. The eight categories are not a recommendation; they are a divinely-fixed duty.
Why this verse
Q 9:60 names the eight categories of zakāh recipients: the fuqarāʾ (poor), masākīn (needy), zakāh-administrators, those whose hearts need winning, the riqāb (slaves seeking emancipation), the ghārimūn (debtors), fī sabīl Allah (in Allah's cause), and ibn as-sabīl (the wayfarer). The verse closes: 'a duty imposed by Allah.' The categories are not the giver's choice; they are divinely fixed.
Bring it into today
Calculate your zakāh precisely each year. 2.5% of qualifying wealth held above niṣāb for a lunar year. Distribute among the eight categories per the verse. Use a reputable zakāh administrator if uncertain about local distribution. Do not give zakāh to causes outside the eight; give those causes sadaqah instead.
A reflection to carry
The verse is the structural foundation of zakāh fiqh. Modern Muslims often confuse zakāh with general charity (sadaqah), giving zakāh to causes outside the eight categories. The verse forbids this. The eight are: poor, needy, administrators, hearts-to-be-won, slaves-to-be-freed, debtors, in-Allah's-cause (classical: jihad and its provisions; some scholars extend to daʿwah and Islamic infrastructure), wayfarers. Building a masjid with zakāh is contested; most classical scholars exclude it. Funding a Muslim charity's overhead can fall under 'administrators' for the staff portion. Pay zakāh precisely, per the verse.
Read the longer reflection
Ibn Kathir's commentary on the riqāb (slaves) is operationally rich. The category covers (1) slaves seeking emancipation through ransom-contracts (mukatab); (2) buying and freeing slaves directly; (3) the broader application of freeing those in bondage. The Prophet ﷺ said: 'Whoever frees a believing slave, Allah will free him from the Fire, limb for limb.' (Bukhārī 6715, Muslim 1509.) Modern application of the riqāb category includes freeing prisoners of conscience, ransoming captives, and ending forms of debt-bondage. The category is alive; the Quran's verse provides the mandate.
Sources: Ibn Kathir. The Qur'an and its translation are verified; the scholarship is retold faithfully in our own words and credited to its sources, never reproduced verbatim.
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