Giving to slaves from the zakah

Question:
He asks: Is it permissible to give zakah to slaves, even if they are not under the protection of a person, and they are in dire need of it?

Answer:
If he is wealthy through his master, such that his master spends on him, he is not given zakah. However, if his master has neglected him and abandoned him, and does not give him zakah, and he is poor and unable to work—indeed, he is incapable or prevented from earning, and earning has not been made easy for him, and he is poor—then he is given [zakah]. This is because the operative cause preventing [the giving] is his being made wealthy by his master, and his master taking care of him and spending on him. So if his master does not prevent him, and he is in need and poor, and he has no earnings to sustain him, then he is given from the zakah. Yes. We ask Allah to guide them and to grant them success among us.