Answer
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu waRahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
In this fatwa:
If your friend is poor or in financial need, he qualifies to receive Zakahas mentioned in the Quran (At-Tawbah 9:60). You don’t have to disclose it’s Zakah, as intention matters most in Islamic giving.
Answering your question, Dr. Muhammad Salama, PhD, Islamic Studies in English, Assistant Professor at the Faculty of Islamic Sciences al-Madinah International University (Mediu), states:
Quranic Basis for Zakat Eligibility
Almighty Allah says in the Ever-Glorious Quran:
“Indeed, [prescribed] charitable offerings are only [to be given] to the poor and the indigent, and to those who work on [administering] it, and to those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to [free] those in bondage, and to the debt-ridden, and for the cause of God, and to the wayfarer. [This is] an obligation from God. And God is all-knowing, all-wise.” (At-Tawbah 9:60)
Can I Give Zakat to a Friend?
So, if your friend is poor and needs money, then he falls under one of these categories and you may give him out of the zakah. You do not have to tell him about the reality of this money.
The following fatwas offer additional explanations:
- What’s the Difference Between Zakah and Charity?
- Taxes and Zakah: Any Difference?
- Can I Pay Zakah Monthly?
- What to Do If You Never Paid Zakah
- How to Pay Delayed Zakah
- Collecting Zakah for a Needy Relative: OK?
- Can I Give Zakah to My Cousin?
- Should I Pay Zakah to Relatives or the State?
- Is Gifting Zakah to Relatives for Hajj Permissible?
Allah Almighty knows best.
Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.