The Ruling on Giving Voluntary Charity to a Needy Disbeliever
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
Question:
But one might ask: The Messenger specified the Muslim, so is it permissible to give voluntary charity to a needy disbeliever?
Answer:
There is a distinction here. It is not permissible to give zakah to a disbeliever unless he is among those whose hearts are to be reconciled. It is not permissible to give zakah on wealth to a disbeliever unless this disbeliever is among those whose hearts are to be reconciled, whose Islam is hoped for or whose evil is restrained. Those whose hearts are to be reconciled are given from the zakah, even if they are not Muslims. As for voluntary charity, there is nothing wrong with giving to a needy disbeliever. He is given the amount of his need, and the one who gives receives reward for it.
But one might ask: The Messenger specified the Muslim, so is it permissible to give voluntary charity to a needy disbeliever?
Answer:
There is a distinction here. It is not permissible to give zakah to a disbeliever unless he is among those whose hearts are to be reconciled. It is not permissible to give zakah on wealth to a disbeliever unless this disbeliever is among those whose hearts are to be reconciled, whose Islam is hoped for or whose evil is restrained. Those whose hearts are to be reconciled are given from the zakah, even if they are not Muslims. As for voluntary charity, there is nothing wrong with giving to a needy disbeliever. He is given the amount of his need, and the one who gives receives reward for it.
Source
شرح بلوغ المرام من أدلة الأحكام [ صالح الفوزان ]، تتمة باب صدقة التطوع — islamhouse.com (12:35)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.