Is the obligation discharged by giving zakah, even if the recipient is not among those entitled to it?

Question : May Allah bless you. Some people, O Shaykh Muhammad, give this zakah to specific individuals for many years, and some of them may have become wealthy. Is the obligation discharged in such a case?

Answer : The obligation is discharged if a person gives it to someone who is not among those entitled to it. However, he must break the habit if the poor person has become wealthy, even if it was his custom to give to him for a long period. If the person becomes self-sufficient, it is not permissible for him to give it to him. Rather, he should advise him and warn him against it when he comes to ask for his usual share. But if the person he is accustomed to giving to is one of his relatives and he fears that stopping would lead to severing family ties, let him give to him as a voluntary gift, not from the obligatory zakah. May Allah reward you, O Honorable Shaykh, and may Allah bless you and your knowledge and benefit people through you.