Is Islam geared towards the poor?

Sources

• ✓ 2:273 · Al-Baqara

  2:273 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  لِلْفُقَرَآءِ ٱلَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًۭا فِى ٱلْأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ ٱلْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَآءَ مِنَ ٱلتَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُم بِسِيمَٰهُمْ لَا يَسْـَٔلُونَ ٱلنَّاسَ إِلْحَافًۭا ۗ وَمَا تُنفِقُوا۟ مِنْ خَيْرٍۢ فَإِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِهِۦ عَلِيمٌ

  (Alms are) for the poor who are straitened for the cause of Allah, who cannot travel in the land (for trade). The unthinking man accounteth them wealthy because of their restraint. Thou shalt know them by their mark: They do not beg of men with importunity. And whatsoever good thing ye spend, lo! Allah knoweth it.

• ✓ 9:60 · At-Tawba

  9:60 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  ۞ إِنَّمَا ٱلصَّدَقَٰتُ لِلْفُقَرَآءِ وَٱلْمَسَٰكِينِ وَٱلْعَٰمِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَٱلْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِى ٱلرِّقَابِ وَٱلْغَٰرِمِينَ وَفِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ ۖ فَرِيضَةًۭ مِّنَ ٱللَّهِ ۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌۭ

  The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.

• ✓ 47:38 · Muhammad

  47:38 · Muhammad Marmaduke Pickthall

  هَٰٓأَنتُمْ هَٰٓؤُلَآءِ تُدْعَوْنَ لِتُنفِقُوا۟ فِى سَبِيلِ ٱللَّهِ فَمِنكُم مَّن يَبْخَلُ ۖ وَمَن يَبْخَلْ فَإِنَّمَا يَبْخَلُ عَن نَّفْسِهِۦ ۚ وَٱللَّهُ ٱلْغَنِىُّ وَأَنتُمُ ٱلْفُقَرَآءُ ۚ وَإِن تَتَوَلَّوْا۟ يَسْتَبْدِلْ قَوْمًا غَيْرَكُمْ ثُمَّ لَا يَكُونُوٓا۟ أَمْثَٰلَكُم

  Lo! ye are those who are called to spend in the way of Allah, yet among you there are some who hoard. And as for him who hoardeth, he hoardeth only from his soul. And Allah is the Rich, and ye are the poor. And if ye turn away He will exchange you for some other folk, and they will not be the likes of you.

• ✓ Tafsir Ibn Kathir on 9:60

  Sunni

  Tafsir Ibn Kathir · 9:60

  When Allah mentions in this verse the categories entitled to receive zakat, He addresses an objection raised by ignorant hypocrites who criticized the Prophet ﷺ for how the zakat was divided. Allah clarifies that He alone determines the distribution and stipulates its rulings, handling the matter Himself without delegating it to anyone else. He divides zakat among these eight groups as mentioned in the verse. This is supported by a report from the hadith collection of Imam Abu Dawud, narrated from Abd al-Rahman ibn Ziyad ibn An'am, via Ziyad ibn Nu'aym, from Ziyad ibn al-Harith as-Sudai, who said: I came to the Prophet ﷺ and pledged allegiance, then a man asked for some charity. The Prophet replied, "Allah does not approve of any prophet or anyone else deciding the allotment of zakat; it is Allah's alone, and He has divided it into eight parts. If you belong to any of these categories, I will give you." Scholars differ over whether all eight categories must be fully served or if it suffices to give zakat to some of them as needed. One opinion, held by Imam al-Shafi'i and some others, requires including all categories. The other view, favored by Imam Malik and several of the early generations like Umar ibn al-Khattab, Hudhayfah, Ibn Abbas, Abu al-Aliyah, Sa'id ibn Jubayr, and Maymun ibn Mihran, allows giving zakat to just one or some categories, even if others remain unsupplied. Ibn Jarir favored the latter as the dominant scholarly position and explained that listing the categories here is to clarify how zakat is to be spent, not to require fulfilling every category in every distribution. The poor (al-fuqara') are mentioned first due to their greater need, evident by their deep poverty. According to Abu Hanifa, the needy (al-miskin) are considered worse off than the poor; Ibn Jarir relates a hadith in which Umar explained the poor as those lacking any livelihood. There are differing views among scholars about the precise definitions of 'poor' and 'needy': some say the poor are those who can provide for themselves to some extent and do not ask others, while the needy are those who do ask. Qatada distinguished the poor as temporarily in need and the needy as those physically unable. Sufyan al-Thawri considered them the poor immigrants; thus, the Arabs (Bedouins) were not given from zakat. Ikrimah said the term 'misakin' should not be applied to Muslim poor, but to the People of the Book. Several prophetic hadith clarify who among the categories the zakat is intended for: For 'the poor': Ibn Amr reported that the Messenger ﷺ said, "Charity is not permissible for a rich person or someone with assets." And from Abu Hurayrah: When two men came to the Prophet seeking charity, he looked at their lean physqiues and said, "If you want, I will give you; there is no share in it for the rich or the strong who earn." Also, the Prophet ﷺ forbade charity for wealthy relatives of his family according to a hadith in Sahih Muslim. Regarding the 'needy': Abu Hurayrah reported the Prophet said, "The needy is not the one who goes around begging repeatedly to people, getting a bite or two of food, or a date or two." They asked, "Then who is the needy, O Messenger of Allah?" He replied, "The one who finds no wealth to suffice him, is not able to manage himself, and does not ask others." The next categories include those whose hearts are to be reconciled (al-mu'allafatu qulubuhum). These may be given zakat to soften their hearts toward Islam or to encourage their faith. The Prophet ﷺ gave Safwan ibn Umayyah booty after the battle of Hunayn even though he had been a polytheist. This illustrates the practice of awarding some to gain or confirm faith. Then there are those freed from bondage (riqab); scholars report differing views, but many allow freeing slaves from zakat funds, following rulings by the Prophet and his companions. Many hadiths emphasize the virtue and reward for freeing slaves, noting that Allah rewards liberating each part of the slave’s body progressively. Those in debt (gharimun) form another group; they include those who undertook a burden of debt unjustly, or were forced into debt and have repented. The Prophet ﷺ instructed that charity could be given to help them, highlighted in a hadith of Qabeesah ibn Mukhaariq and others. In the cause of Allah (fi sabilillah) include those who strive in the way of Allah without receiving regular support from the public treasury, pilgrims on the path of Allah, and the mujtahid traveler (ibn al-sabil) who has no source to fund his journey and must be assisted until he reaches home. Finally, the wayfarer is included, with detailed rulings that one may spend zakat to support a traveler without resources on his journey, even if he is wealthy otherwise. The verse ends describing zakat as an ordained duty of Allah. Allah is All-Knowing and Wise concerning all matters He legislates, including the distribution of charity. There is none besides Him who commands how zakat is divided, and only He fully comprehends the benefits and wisdom behind the ruling.

• ✓ Sunan al-Tirmidhi 36:49

  Sunni Very Daif (per Al-Albani)

  Sunan al-Tirmidhi · Book 36, Hadith 49 · Narrated by Anas

  The Messenger of Allah said, "O Allah, cause me to live poor and die poor, and raise me among the poor on the Day of Resurrection." Aisha asked, "Why, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Because they enter Paradise before the wealthy by forty autumns. O Aisha, do not reject a poor person even with half a date. O Aisha, love the poor and bring them near, for Allah will bring you near on the Day of Resurrection."