The Effect of the Mention of the Verse on the Preference Between the Poor and the Needy

The questioner : Honorable Shaykh, you mentioned that giving zakah to the poor is better than giving it to the needy, and that is because the poor are mentioned first in the noble verse regarding the poor and the needy. And Allah the Exalted said in another verse: "Marrying those who are already married and those who are virgins..."

The Shaykh : That the one who is already married is better than the virgin, and that is because her name came first in the verse. Please inform us, may Allah reward you? This is the rule of precedence (tawqif) that we took from the words of the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) when he approached al-Safa. After he had performed the circumambulation, he said: "I begin with what Allah began with." And the scholars said that in the verse of zakah, Allah began with the poor because they are in greater need than the needy, and one begins with the most important, then the next most important. This is clear. And I did not say that giving to the poor is better than giving to the needy. So I would like the brother to correct his question. It may be that giving to the needy is better than giving to the poor, better than giving to the poor, because the needy person is one who has obedience and worship, a family, and modesty, while the poor person is not in this state. So here, even though the poor person is in greater need, giving to the needy person in this case is better. And we did not say that giving to the poor is better. And you heard what I said. We said the poor person is more important because he is in greater need. And here there is a difference between this and that. It may be that a person is very, very poor, and there is a needy person who is more active than him, and we prefer giving to the needy person, because preferences have many considerations.
And as for what he pointed to in the noble verse: "Marrying those who are already married and those who are virgins." This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not marry a woman to amuse himself or to enjoy and take pleasure, but rather the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) considers other factors. For this reason, he did not marry a virgin except Aisha, because she is the daughter of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him). So for this reason, he began with those who are already married to indicate that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) does not marry a woman for her virginity, but for the noble meanings, even if she is already married. This is the reason for the precedence of those who are already married over virgins in the noble verse. Yes.