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Practice these MCQs in the appQuick fact: According to Islamic teachings, there are 8 categories (Masarif) for the distribution of Zakat.
The eight categories of Zakat distribution are explicitly mentioned in Surah Al-Tawbah (9:60), which lists the eligible recipients: the poor (Fuqara), the needy (Masakin), Zakat collectors (Amileen), those whose hearts are to be reconciled (Mu'allafat al-Qulub), freeing captives (Riqab), those in debt (Gharimeen), in the cause of Allah (Fi Sabilillah), and the wayfarer (Ibn al-Sabeel). This verse is the sole basis for determining who may receive Zakat, and no one outside these eight categories is eligible.
The word 'Masarif' refers to the avenues or channels of Zakat expenditure as prescribed in the Quran. These eight categories are fixed and cannot be expanded or reduced through ijtihad. Zakat cannot be given to one's own ascendants (parents, grandparents) or descendants (children, grandchildren), nor to non-Muslims except in the category of Mu'allafat al-Qulub. The eight categories ensure that Zakat serves both social welfare and the strengthening of the Islamic community.
