❀ Zakat is Forbidden for the Wealthy and Those Capable of Earning ❀
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
❖ Zakat is Not Permissible for the Rich or Able-Bodied Individuals
Narrated by ʿAbdullāh ibn ʿAmr (رضي الله عنه):
The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said:
“لا تُحْمَلُ الصَّدَقَةُ إِلَى غَنِيٍّ وَلَا إِلَى ذِي مِرَّةٍ سَوِيٍّ“
“Zakat (charity) should not be given to a rich person, nor to one who is strong and healthy in body.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1439, Kitāb al-Zakāh: Chapter on Who May Receive Zakat and the Limit of Wealth; Abū Dāwūd: 1634; al-Tirmidhī: 652; al-Ḥākim: 1/407; Aḥmad: 2/164; al-Bayhaqī: 7/13; al-Nasā’ī: 5/99; Ibn Mājah: 1839; al-Dāraquṭnī: 2/118; al-Bayhaqī: 7/14]
Imām Ibn Ḥajar رحمه الله graded this narration as ḥasan (good).
[Talkhīṣ al-Ḥabīr: 3/232]
❖ Supporting Narration
Another narration adds:
“ولا حظ فيها لغني ولا لقوي مكتسب“
“There is no share in Zakat for a wealthy person or a physically strong one who is capable of earning a livelihood.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Abū Dāwūd: 1439; also Abū Dāwūd: 1633; al-Nasā’ī: 5/99; Aḥmad: 4/224; ʿAbd al-Razzāq: 7154; al-Dāraquṭnī: 2/119; al-Bayhaqī: 7/14]
✿ Summary of Rulings:
◈ Zakat is prohibited for those who are wealthy or physically capable of earning through work.
◈ The Prophet ﷺ emphasized that financial capability and bodily strength disqualify a person from receiving Zakat.
◈ This ensures that Zakat is exclusively directed to the genuinely poor and needy, preserving its intended purpose.
