Who Can Lawfully Receive Zakat and Who Cannot

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Hariz from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), say, ‘One who has seven hundred has permission to receive Zakat if no one other than him can be found.’ I then asked, ‘Does the one who owns seven hundred owe Zakat? He (the Imam) said, ‘His Zakat is charity for his dependents and he must not receive charity (Zakat) except if he depends on seven hundred and it finishes before the end of the year, in which case he can accept charity (Zakat). Zakat is not lawful for one who has a profession or something on which Zakat is due.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Qasim ibn Yahya from his grandfather al-Hassan ibn Rashid from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ’Dinner of the Prophets is after al-’Atmah (the time of late evening Salat (prayer)); so you must not ignore dinner because ignoring it leads to neglecting the body.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Hammad ibn ‘Isa has narrated from Hariz ibn ‘Abd Allah from Zurarah ibn ’A‘yan who has said the following: “I once heard abu Ja‘far (a.s.), saying, ‘Charity (Zakat) is not lawful for those who have an established profession or a resourceful one who is capable and strong, so keep yourselves clean from receiving charity (Zakat).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’The origin of the ruination of body is in ignoring dinner.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Bakr ibn Salih from al-Hassan ibn Ali from ’Isma‘il ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz from his father from abu Basir who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a certain person of our people who has eight hundred dirham, works with pumice, and has a large family to feed, if he can receive Zakat. He (the Imam) asked, ‘O abu Muhammad, can he earn with his dirham the expenses of his family with a certain amount of saving?’ I replied, ‘Yes, he does.’ He (the Imam) then asked, ‘How much does he save?’ I replied, ‘I do not know.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If his saving amounts to half of his expenses, he cannot receive Zakat, but if it is less than half of his expenses, it is lawful for him to receive Zakat.’ I then asked, ‘Is there any Zakat on his assets?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, there is Zakat on his assets.’ I then asked, ‘How will he deal with it?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘With that he meets his expenses for his family, for their food, drink and clothes, and if anything remains he can give to others and what he receives from Zakat is to raise the standard of the living of his family.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Jamil ibn Salih who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ’Neglecting dinner is senility, thus it is necessary for an aged man to go to sleep when his stomach is full of food.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from his brother al-Hassan from Zur’ah ibn Muhammad from Santa ‘ah who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about Zakat if it can be paid to one who has a house and servants. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, unless his house is income-producing from which he earns dirham which is enough for his expenses and the expenses of his family. If such income is not enough for his expenses and the expenses of his family like food, clothes and their other needs without excessiveness; then Zakat is lawful for him, but if the income from the house is sufficient for their expenses, then Zakat is not lawful for him.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Sa‘id ibn Junah who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan, al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘When a man becomes old he must not neglect eating something during the night; it brings peaceful sleep and nicer breath.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from Safwan ibn Yahya from ‘Abd al- Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj who has said the following: I once asked abu al-Hassan, the first (a.s.), about a man whose father or uncle or brother provides his expenses, if he can receive Zakat to facilitate himself further, in case they do not provide enough facilities in all the things that he needs? He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah from his father from Sulayman ibn Ja‘far al-Ja‘fariy who has said the following: “Abu al-Hassan (a.s.), would not neglect dinner even if it was one cookie; and he (the Imam) would say, ‘Neglecting dinner is ruination of the body.’ He (the narrator) has said, ‘I am not certain perhaps he (the Imam) said that it is helpful in going to bed with one’s wife.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. From Safwan ibn Yahya has narrated from MtFawiyah ibn Wahab who has said the following: “I once asked abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who has three hundred or four hundred dirham. He has a family to feed and has a profession that he practices but he cannot earn his expenses. Is he required to restrict himself within what he earns, and not to receive Zakat, or that he can receive Zakat also. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, he must use the extra (profit from his dirham not the capital) for his expenses and his dependents and receive the deficit from Zakat, use dirham in business and must not spend it.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Nasr from Hammad ibn ‘Uthaman from al-Walid ibn Sabih who has said the following: “I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘It is not good for one of old age to spend the night very light, instead it is better for him to pass the night with full stomach.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from ‘Umar ibn ’Udhaynah from more than one person who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far, and abu ‘Abd Allah, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, were asked if a man who has a house and servant can receive Zakat. He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can receive Zakat, because house and servant are not wealth.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from Ziyad ibn abu al-Hallal who has said the following: “I once took dinner with abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and he said, ‘Dinner after ‘ Isha ’ al- Akhirah (time of late evening Salat (prayer)) is like the dinner of the prophets, ‘Alayhim al-Salam.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from Ishaq ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who has eight hundred dirham, his son has two hundred dirham. He has ten dependents to feed. He lives with difficulty and does not have any profession. He only uses his dirham as capital to earn his living. It remains idle for months. He uses his savings for his expenses. Do you consider it proper his taking from Zakat that he owes to spend and facilitate his dependents? He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can do so, but he must take it in the form of dirham.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Bandar has narrated from Ahmad ibn abu ‘Abd Allah, from abu Sulayman, from Ahmad ibn al-Hassan al- Jabaliy (al-Halabiy), from his father, from Jamil ibn Darraj who has said the following: “I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘If one does not take dinner one Saturday and Sunday nights consecutively, his strength will go away and will not come back until forty days later.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from his brother al-Hassan from Zur’ah from Sanaa ‘ah who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Sometimes it is lawful for one who has seven hundred dirham to receive Zakat but it is unlawful for one who has fifty dirham.’ I then asked, ‘How can that happen?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Sometimes the owner of seven hundred may have a large family to feed and it is not enough for them, so he can exempt himself and receive Zakat for his family. Zakat can become unlawful for the owner of fifty if he is alone and has a profession. He works and earns enough, by the will of Allah.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from certain persons of his people from Dharih who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘An old man must not neglect dinner even if it is one morsel.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ’Isma‘il ibn ‘Abd al-‘Aziz from his father who has said the following: “Once, abu Basir and I visited abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and abu Basir said to him (the Imam), ‘We have a friend and he is a truthful person. He follows Allah’s religion as we do.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘Who is he, O abu Basir, whom you admire?’ Abu Basir, replied, ‘He is al-‘Abbas ibn al-Walid ibn Sabih.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘May Allah grant mercy to al-Walid ibn Sabih! What has happened to him, O abu Muhammad?’ Abu Basir said, ‘I pray to Allah to keep my soul in service for your cause, he has a house which is valued at four thousand dirham. He has a slave-girl and slave servant who provides water every day for two to four dirham minus feed for the camel and he has a family. Can he receive Zakat?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Yes, he can receive Zakat.’ Abu Basir said, ‘But he has all these assets.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘O abu Muhammad, do you command me to command him to sell his house which is for his dignity and the place of his birth? Alternatively, must he sell his slave-girl who protects him from hot and cold weather and protects him and his wife’s dignity? On the other hand, must he sell his slave and his camel, which are means for his living and expenses? In fact, he must receive Zakat and it is lawful for him. He does not have to sell his house, his slave or his camel.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Bakr ibn Salih from ibn Faddal from ‘Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim from Ah ibn abu Ah al-Lahbiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), once asked me, ‘What do your physicians say about dinner?’ I replied, ‘They prohibit taking dinner.’ He (the Imam) said, ‘I however, command you to take dinner.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from his brother Zur’ah from Sama‘ah who has said the following: “I once asked abu ’Abd Allah (a.s.), about a man who has a certain number of dirham which he uses in business, Zakat has become obligatory on him and his savings are enough for the expenses of his family, like food and clothes but not for cooking curry. It is only for their food and clothes. He (the Imam) said, ‘He waits for the Zakat of his assets, pays from it to the deserving beneficiaries a certain amount. What is left, he spends on his family to buy with it gravy curry for them and what is for their well being and food without excessiveness but he himself must not eat from it; because sometimes poor people act more excessively than affluent ones.’ I then asked, ‘How can that happen?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘Affluent people spend from what they earn, but poor people spend without earning.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from al-Hajj al from Tha’labah from a man whom he has mentioned who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘Food during the night is more useful than food during the day.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

12. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Mahbub from Mu‘awiyah ibn Wahab who has said the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘They narrate from the Holy prophet, “Charity (Zakat) is not lawful for the rich people, or resourceful strong ones.’” Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), said, ‘It is not proper for the rich people.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

12. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from certain persons of Ahwaz who has said the following: “Al-Rida’ (a.s.), has said, ‘In the body there is a vein called ‘Isha’. If one does not take dinner, it continues praying against him until morning; and it says, ‘May Allah make you hungry just as you kept me hungry, and may Allah make you thirsty just as you kept me thirsty.’ No one of you must neglect taking dinner, even if it is one morsel of bread or a sip of water.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

13. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hammad ibn ‘Uthman from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about how much is paid to Zakat collector. He (the Imam) said, ‘It is whatever the Imam deems proper. There is nothing definite about it.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

14. Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from Safwan ibn Yahya from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj who has said the following: “I once asked abu al-Hassan (a.s.), about a man who is a Muslim and a slave and his owner is a Muslim man and he has a certain amount of asset from which he pays Zakat. The slave has a small child who is free. Can the master pay Zakat to the child of his slave? He (the Imam) said, ‘It is not harmful.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

15. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Dawud al-Sarmiy who has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), if Zakat can be given to one who consumes wine. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, Zakat cannot be given to such person.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.