Who counts as poor or needy for receiving zakah?
2026-09-20
F19 · Selected fatwas
Shaykh Ibn Bāz
الشيخ عبد العزيز بن عبد الله بن باز
Original Q&A · Full displayed answer
The whole answer defines the poor and needy categories and preserves the sufficiency condition omitted from the old excerpt. This question concerns those two categories; the other zakah categories are not separately discussed here.
النص العربي
السؤال الأصلي
من هو المسكين الذي تصرف له الزكاة؟ وما الفرق بينه وبين الفقير؟
الجواب
المسكين هو الفقير الذي لا يجد كمال الكفاية، والفقير أشد حاجة منه، وكلاهما من أصناف أهل الزكاة المذكورين في قوله تعالى: إنما الصدقات للفقراء والمساكين والعاملين عليها الآية [التوبة:60]. ومن كان له دخل يكفيه للطعام والشراب والكساء وللسكن من وقف أو كسب أو وظيفة أو نحو ذلك فإنه لا يسمى فقيرا ولا مسكينا، ولا يجوز أن تصرف له الزكاة.
English translation
English rendering prepared for SalafAlSalih.com from the cited complete Arabic answer; not an official translation.
Original question
Who is the needy person to whom zakah is paid, and what is the difference between him and the poor person?
Answer
The needy person is a poor person who does not have enough to meet his needs in full, while the poor person is in greater need. Both are among the categories eligible for zakah mentioned in Allah’s words: “Zakah is only for the poor, the needy and those employed to administer it…” [al-Tawbah 9:60]. Someone whose income from an endowment, earnings, employment or similar sources is enough for food, drink, clothing and housing is not called poor or needy, and zakah may not be paid to him.
Source and editorial notes
Official Ibn Bāz website, fatwa 6528; website cites Majmūʿ Fatāwā wa-Maqālāt 14/265
الفرق بين المسكين والفقير
Difference between the Needy and the Poor
Full original question and entire answer collated; replaces the historical selected excerpt. The entire substantive official question and answer are preserved through the final answer words. Caller introductions remain in the Arabic; wrapped initials are joined with a space. Navigation, related answers, presenter thanks and editorial footnote markers are excluded. Honorific glyphs are expanded to words; spoken wording is retained. Print references are the official site’s locators, not independently collated print scans.