Is it permissible for a person entrusted with distributing the zakah of another to take some of it for himself, given that he is among those to whom zakah is obligatory?

Question:
He says: One of my friends gave me zakat on his wealth and told me to distribute it to the poor. I took this money because I have debts that I have not paid, knowing that I need the money to settle the debts. Is that permissible?

Answer:
My brother, you are an agent, and an agent is a trustee. It is not permissible for him to act except according to what the principal tells him. The owner of the money ordered you to distribute it, so do not take anything from it for yourself except with his permission. Do not take anything from it except with his permission. As for settling debts, if you are in financial difficulty, there is no harm in taking from the zakat to settle them, but only with the permission of the zakat owner. However, if you are financially well-off, it is not permissible for you to take the zakat, neither for debts nor for anything else.