His Eminence the Shaykh, is giving alms to beggars considered zakah? We ask for guidance on this matter, may you be rewarded.
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The questioner : His Eminence the Shaykh, is giving alms to beggars considered zakah? We ask for guidance on this matter, may you be rewarded.
The Shaykh : The beggars who pass by people and ask them for money are in one of two situations. The first is that it is more likely that they are truthful and that they are in need. These people are given from zakah and from voluntary charity, and there is no blame on the person for giving to them. However, they should not take the mosques as a place for begging; rather, their place of begging should be at the doors of the mosques, outside of them.
The second situation is that it is more likely that they are not truthful in their claim of poverty and need, but rather it is more likely that they are lying and that they are asking people for their money to accumulate wealth. These people should not be given from zakah or from obligatory charity, because doing so encourages them in the forbidden act of begging. It is forbidden for a person to ask people for their money to accumulate wealth; indeed, asking people for their money to accumulate wealth is one of the major sins. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)Sahih Muslim 1041 We have heard much about some of these beggars that when they died, large amounts of money were found with them, including gold, silver, and currency. This indicates that some of them ask people to accumulate wealth, not to meet a need or a dire necessity.
The Shaykh : The beggars who pass by people and ask them for money are in one of two situations. The first is that it is more likely that they are truthful and that they are in need. These people are given from zakah and from voluntary charity, and there is no blame on the person for giving to them. However, they should not take the mosques as a place for begging; rather, their place of begging should be at the doors of the mosques, outside of them.
The second situation is that it is more likely that they are not truthful in their claim of poverty and need, but rather it is more likely that they are lying and that they are asking people for their money to accumulate wealth. These people should not be given from zakah or from obligatory charity, because doing so encourages them in the forbidden act of begging. It is forbidden for a person to ask people for their money to accumulate wealth; indeed, asking people for their money to accumulate wealth is one of the major sins. This is based on the saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)