Those who are not entitled to receive zakat is an important topic when a muzakki wants to ensure that his wealth truly reaches recipients who are eligible according to Islamic law. Zakat is not social assistance that can be distributed freely to anyone. Zakat is a financial act of worship that is strictly regulated in the Quran and hadith. Therefore, it is important for us to understand who is not entitled to receive zakat so that its distribution truly brings blessings.
Read also: Who is Zakat Mal Given To? The Following are the Rules and Regulations According to the Quran
1. The Rich and Those Who Are Still Able to Work Are Not Entitled to Receive Zakat
Zakat is only intended for those who are truly in need. If someone is still healthy, strong, and has a decent source of income, then they are not entitled to receive zakat from the eight categories of mustahik or asnaf. The Prophet Muhammad said in a hadith, “There is no share of zakat for the rich and those who are able to work” (HR. Abu Dawud).
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2. The Government or State Programs that are not Included in the Asnaf are not Entitled to Receive Zakat
Recently, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated that taxes are similar in value to zakat and waqf. This is because all three involve the redistribution of other people’s rights for the sake of social justice. However, according to the views of fiqh experts and the MUI fatwa, taxes are not zakat. Taxes are a general obligation based on state regulations, while zakat is a special act of worship for Muslims that has been established by the Quran with a clear distribution mechanism.
Deputy Secretary of the MUI Fatwa Commission, KH Abdul Muiz Ali, emphasized that zakat is specific to Muslims who have reached the nisab, while taxes apply to all citizens, regardless of religion. Taxes are compulsory according to the law, while zakat is a religious obligation with clear amounts, nisab, and mustahik targets. The eight asnaf who are mustahik include: the poor, the needy, the amil, the mualaf, the riqab, the ghari, fi sabilillah, and ibnu sabil. Thus, zakat cannot be equated with taxes or transferred to government programs that are not directly designed for mustahik. Therefore, the government has no right to receive zakat, especially if the zakat funds are used for programs that are not oriented towards the eight categories of mustahik. The exception is if the government acts as an amil who continues to distribute zakat to mustahik in accordance with Islamic law.
Read also: Zakat in Islamic History After the Era of the Companions
3. Sinners Who Use Zakat for Haram Purposes
Zakat should not be given to people who will use it for sinful purposes. Allah says, “O you who believe, do not violate the symbols of Allah, do not violate the sacred months, do not (disturb) the hadyu (sacrificial animals) and qalā’id (sacrificial animals that have been marked), and do not (disturb) the visitors to Baitulharam while they are seeking the bounty and pleasure of their Lord! When you have completed your ihram, hunt (if you wish). Let not your hatred of a people, for they have hindered you from the Sacred Mosque, prevent you from being just toward them. Help one another in righteousness and piety, but do not help one another in sin and enmity. Fear Allah, for Allah is severe in punishment” (Qs. Al-Maidah verse 2).
Giving zakat funds to people who commit sins is the same as helping them to commit sins. If someone uses zakat funds to buy haram goods or continue sinful acts, then the zakat donation becomes invalid according to sharia law. However, if the sinner is poor and the zakat is given for halal needs as well as to encourage repentance, some scholars allow it with the intention of da’wah and reform.
Read also: Can Taxes Be Replaced by Zakat? Heres the Full Explanation
4. Families who are obliged to be provided for are not entitled to receive zakat from their breadwinners
Families who are obliged to be supported are not entitled to receive zakat from the person who is responsible for their support. For example, a parent cannot give zakat to children who are still financially dependent on them, nor can a child give zakat to parents who are obliged to support them. This is because support is a religious obligation, not a form of charity or social assistance.
The scholars of the Shafi’i school of thought, including Imam An-Nawawi in Al-Majmu‘, emphasize that giving zakat to those who are dependent on one’s financial support is not permissible. This means that if someone gives zakat to those whom they are obligated to support, they are no longer fulfilling their primary obligation, but rather converting that obligation into invalid zakat.
However, zakat may still be given to relatives who are not dependents, such as siblings who are independent but poor, nephews, uncles, or aunts who are in need. In fact, in a hadith, the Prophet Muhammad said, “Charity to the poor is only charity, but charity to relatives is both charity and a means of maintaining family ties” (HR. Tirmidzi).
Read also: Are Zakat and Taxes the Same? Understanding Their Differences and Connections
5. Those Who Are Not Included in the Eight Asnaf
Those who are not included in the eight asnaf are explicitly not entitled to receive zakat. The eight categories referred to are the poor, the needy, zakat collectors, new converts, slaves who want to free themselves, those in debt for a good cause, those fighting in the way of Allah, and travelers who have run out of provisions. This provision is explicitly mentioned in the Quran, Surah at-Taubah, verse 60.
“Indeed, zakat is only for the poor, the needy, those who collect it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled (converts), to (free) slaves, to (free) those in debt, for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer (who needs help), as an obligation from Allah. Allah is All-Knowing and All-Wise“ (QS. At-Taubah verse 60).
The scholars emphasize that the use of the word ”innama” (indeed only) at the beginning of the sentence in that verse is a form of restriction. So that zakat should not be distributed outside the eight categories mentioned. Imam Ibn Kathir in Tafsir Ibn Kathir explains that this verse is evidence that the distribution of zakat must follow these restrictions and cannot be expanded according to human desires.
Read also: Paying Zakat Fitrah Online or In Person, Which is More Appropriate?
Distribute Zakat to Those Who Are Entitled
It is important for us to understand who is not entitled to receive zakat, so that this act of worship is carried out correctly in accordance with the guidance of the Quran and hadith. The distribution of zakat to the right targets will preserve the sanctity of wealth, close loopholes for misuse, and ensure that the aid actually reaches the eight categories of mustahik that have been determined by the sharia.
