Question:

Could you tell me if it is permissible to give money to beggars with the intention of dispensing zakat?

If not, then who should we ideally give out zakat to?

Answer:

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

In principle, zakat dispensation is specifically for the poor and needy. However, Sharīʿah has a specific criteria to classify someone as “poor” enough to receive zakat. This criteria can be termed as nisab, which acts like a poverty line. Someone whose nett savings are more than this poverty line will have to give zakat, whereas, someone who is below this poverty line can accept zakat from others. So if the recipient is not a possessor of nisāb himself (i.e. he is below the poverty line), beggar or otherwise, the dispensation of zakat will be valid.

It has been observed that many “beggars” are themselves not poor and should be dispensing zakat. Hence, it would be very careless to give zakat only on an assumption without due diligence about the financial standing of the recipient.

This is also besides the fact that begging is impermissible for someone who has sufficient wealth for himself. Likewise assisting such a beggar (by aiding in his impermissible act) is also impermissible and severely looked down upon in Sharīʿah. 

You should find a suitable avenue to dispense your zakat. If this happens to be within your family (except for those whom you may not dispense zakat to) then it is much better. You will be able to better assess their needs and fulfill them. 

However, here too you must be vigilant in not making assumptions, rather you should ask them strategically if they would accept zakat should someone give them. Once you know, you may then dispense zakat to them without having any need to inform them that this aid is from Zakat. 

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Mufti Faisal bin Abdul Hameed al-Mahmudi

[i]

حاشية الطحطاوي على مراقي الفلاح شرح نور الإيضاح (ص: 722)
وفي التنوير وشرحه ولا يحل أن يسأل شيئا من القوت من له قوت يومه بالفعل أو بالقوة كالصحيح المكتسب ويأثم معطيه إن علم بحاله لإعانته على المحرم

سنن ابن ماجه – دار الرسالة العالمية (3/ 47)
1838 – حدثنا أبو بكر بن أبي شيبة، حدثنا محمد بن فضيل، عن عمارة ابن القعقاع، عن أبي زرعة عن أبي هريرة، قال: قال رسول الله – صلى الله عليه وسلم -: “من سأل الناس أموالهم تكثرا، فإنما يسأل جمر جهنم، فليستقل منه أو ليكثر”