Giving Charity to a Person Who Is Able to Work

Question (Bengali): "Jara kaj korte sokkhom amon bakti ki bhikhkha dewa jabe ki" — Can charity (sadaqah) be given to a person who is able to work?

Answer

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds. And may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, his Companions, and those who follow him.

1. The basic principle: the poor and needy are the rightful recipients

Allah says:

"Charity is only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect it, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and for the freeing of slaves, and for those in debt, and for the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer." — Surah At-Tawbah 9:60

2. The Prophet's command to work rather than beg

The Prophet ﷺ said:

"Charity is not permissible for a rich person, nor for one who is strong and able to earn." — Abu Dawud 1633, Tirmidhi 652; graded sahih by Shaykh al-Albani in Sahih Abi Dawud

And he ﷺ said:

"Whoever begs from people to accumulate wealth, is only asking for embers of Hell." — Muslim 1041

The Prophet ﷺ also said:

"It is better for one of you to take his rope, go to the mountain, bring back firewood and sell it, than to beg from people, whether they give him or refuse him." — Bukhari 1470

3. Ruling on giving sadaqah to one who is able to work

Based on the above, the scholars — including Shaykh Ibn Baz, Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen, and Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan (may Allah have mercy on them) — have stated:

• It is not permissible to give obligatory Zakah to a person who is physically and mentally able to earn a living, unless he is genuinely unable to find work or his work does not suffice for his basic needs.
• Voluntary sadaqah (nafl charity) is broader in scope; however, giving it to an able-bodied person who is merely lazy and prefers begging is disliked (makruh) and encourages a blameworthy habit. The Prophet ﷺ encouraged earning and discouraged begging.
• If the person is able to work but cannot find employment, or his income is insufficient for his and his family's needs, then he is considered "needy" (miskin) in the Shari'ah sense and may be given charity.

Shaykh Ibn Uthaymeen (rahimahullah) said in Ash-Sharh al-Mumti': The criterion is need (hajah), not merely the ability to work. If a person is capable of earning but cannot find work, or what he earns is not enough, he is included among the poor and needy.

Shaykh Ibn Baz (rahimahullah) advised that the one who is able should strive to earn and not beg, and that the giver should encourage him to work, while not withholding help if he is genuinely in need.

4. Summary

| Situation | Ruling | |---|---| | Able to work, but lazy and prefers begging | Do not give Zakah; voluntary sadaqah is disliked as it encourages begging | | Able to work but cannot find employment | May be given — he is counted among the needy | | Able to work but income is insufficient for basic needs | May be given to cover the shortfall | | Genuinely unable (illness, disability, old age) | May be given — he is among the poor/needy |

5. Advice to the questioner

If you know a person who is able to work, the best help is to encourage him to earn, assist him in finding work, or give him tools/capital to start a trade — as the Prophet ﷺ did when he gave a man an axe and told him to gather firewood (Abu Dawud 1641). This is better than ongoing charity that keeps him dependent.

And Allah knows best.