Asnaf
Asnaf is the Arabic word for categories. It is used for the eight groups of people named in the Qur'an who may receive Zakat. The list is fixed: Zakat given outside these eight does not count. Voluntary charity carries no such limit.
HAF distributes Zakat within these categories through its Zakat appeal.
What the Word Means
Asnaf is simply the plural of sinf, meaning a type or class of thing. One category is a sinf; eight of them are asnaf.
The word is used far more in Malaysia and Indonesia, where zakat is collected by state bodies and "asnaf" has become everyday language for those entitled to receive. In Britain people usually say "the eight categories", which means the same thing.
Why the List Is Closed
This is the part that matters, and it is a point of Arabic grammar before it is a point of law.
The verse setting out who may receive Zakat opens with a word that restricts rather than describes (Qur'an 9:60). It does not say that Zakat is for example for the poor. It says Zakat is only for these groups, and then names them.
Scholars have therefore treated the list as a boundary rather than a suggestion. Zakat given to someone outside the eight is not Zakat. It may be a fine piece of charity, and it will not be wasted, but the obligation remains unpaid and has to be given again.
That single point explains a great deal elsewhere. It is why Zakat generally cannot build a mosque or dig a well, why most scholars require the money to become a qualifying person's property, and why charities keep Zakat funds separate from everything else.
The Eight, and What Is Argued About Them
Plain definitions of each are set out on the Zakat page. What follows is what remains unsettled.
The poor and the needy - al-fuqara and al-masakin. Everyone agrees both qualify. Scholars have long disagreed over which of the two is worse off, with Hanafi and Shafi'i scholars taking opposite views. In practice the dispute changes nothing, since both receive.
Those who administer it - al-amilin. The most consequential category today, and it has its own section below.
Those whose hearts are to be brought closer - al-mu'allafa qulubuhum. Hanafi scholars hold this category lapsed after the Prophet's ﷺ lifetime, following a position reported from Umar. Others hold it remains available, and apply it to new Muslims and to building relations where that serves the community.
Those in bondage - fi'r-riqab. Slavery as it existed is gone. Contemporary scholars have applied this to freeing captives, to people held in bonded labour, and to victims of trafficking. Not all agree the extension is sound.
Those in debt - al-gharimin. Agreed for someone who cannot repay what they owe. Debated for debts run up through extravagance or wrongdoing, and for debt taken on for a public purpose rather than a personal one.
In the cause of Allah - fi sabilillah. The widest disagreement of all. The narrow reading restricts it to armed defence. Broader readings extend it to education, da'wah and public benefit projects. How a charity reads this category decides a great deal about what it will fund from Zakat, which is why it is worth asking.
The stranded traveller - ibn as-sabil. Someone cut off from their resources away from home, even if comfortable there. Contemporary scholars have discussed whether refugees and displaced people fall here, under the poor, or under both.
Do You Have to Give to All Eight?
A fair question, and the schools answer it differently.
Shafi'i scholars hold that Zakat should be divided among whichever categories are present, each receiving a share. This is where the figure of one-eighth comes from.
Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali scholars hold that it may all go to a single category, or even a single person, provided they qualify. Giving your whole Zakat to one poor family is valid on this view.
Most people in Britain give through a charity, which pools and distributes, so the question rarely arises directly. It matters if you are handing Zakat to someone yourself.
Can a Charity Pay Its Costs from Zakat?
This is where UK scholars genuinely split, and donors are rarely told.
The category of amilin covers those who collect and distribute Zakat, and the Qur'an makes them eligible to be paid from it. The argument is about whether a modern charity counts.
One position says no. The classical amil was appointed by a Muslim ruler and acted on behalf of the poor. A charity today is appointed by the donor, not the state, and acts as the donor's agent. On this reading a charity cannot take Zakat for salaries or overheads. Several Hanafi institutions in Britain hold this.
Another position says yes. The category exists precisely to pay for the work of collecting and distributing, and that work is being done. On this reading a charity may take a reasonable portion for genuine administration. Other UK scholars hold this, and some set a ceiling of one-eighth.
Both positions are argued by serious people, and a donor following one may be uncomfortable with a charity operating on the other. It is a fair question to ask any organisation before giving.
HAF's own policy removes the question. HAF does not take administration costs from donations, so no part of your Zakat funds its running.
Who Cannot Receive It
Shorter, and more agreed.
Your own parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and spouse. Supporting them is already your duty, so Zakat cannot be redirected to it. Other relatives are fine, and often better.
Anyone who is not themselves in need. Wealth disqualifies.
Non-Muslims, in most views, for Zakat specifically - though voluntary charity carries no such restriction, which is how charities help anyone in a crisis.
The family of the Prophet ﷺ were classically excluded in honour of their position, though some contemporary scholars allow it where there is need and nothing else is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most scholars say yes, provided you made a reasonable effort to check. If you gave in good faith to someone who seemed poor and later learned otherwise, the obligation is considered met. If you knew, or did not bother to look, it is not. Giving through an organisation that verifies need is one way of handling this.
Yes, and many do. A refugee may be poor, in debt and stranded away from home at once. Nothing requires you to pick which category applies, and nothing stops a person receiving on more than one basis.
It is reasonable to ask, and a well-run organisation will be able to answer. You will not usually get a named individual, since pooled funds do not work that way, and nor should you expect one. What you can expect is a clear statement of which categories the charity distributes under and on whose scholarly guidance.
Almost always, though scholars reach it by different routes. Most are poor or needy, which settles it immediately. Some also fall under the stranded traveller, and some under those in debt. The practical answer is that refugee relief is among the least disputed uses of Zakat there is.
Usually not directly. Buildings and institutions are not people, and most scholars require Zakat to become the property of someone who qualifies. Where a school teaches poor students, Zakat may sometimes reach them through fees or support, depending on how it is structured. Scholars who read fi sabilillah broadly allow more here. Ask before assuming.
Do You Have to Give to All Eight?
A fair question, and the schools answer it differently.
Shafi'i scholars hold that Zakat should be divided among whichever categories are present, each receiving a share. This is where the figure of one-eighth comes from.
Hanafi, Maliki and Hanbali scholars hold that it may all go to a single category, or even a single person, provided they qualify. Giving your whole Zakat to one poor family is valid on this view.
Most people in Britain give through a charity, which pools and distributes, so the question rarely arises directly. It matters if you are handing Zakat to someone yourself.
This is where UK scholars genuinely split, and donors are rarely told.
The category of amilin covers those who collect and distribute Zakat, and the Qur'an makes them eligible to be paid from it. The argument is about whether a modern charity counts.
One position says no. The classical amil was appointed by a Muslim ruler and acted on behalf of the poor. A charity today is appointed by the donor, not the state, and acts as the donor's agent. On this reading a charity cannot take Zakat for salaries or overheads. Several Hanafi institutions in Britain hold this.
Another position says yes. The category exists precisely to pay for the work of collecting and distributing, and that work is being done. On this reading a charity may take a reasonable portion for genuine administration. Other UK scholars hold this, and some set a ceiling of one-eighth.
Both positions are argued by serious people, and a donor following one may be uncomfortable with a charity operating on the other. It is a fair question to ask any organisation before giving.
HAF's own policy removes the question. HAF does not take administration costs from donations, so no part of your Zakat funds its running.
Shorter, and more agreed.
Your own parents, grandparents, children, grandchildren and spouse. Supporting them is already your duty, so Zakat cannot be redirected to it. Other relatives are fine, and often better.
Anyone who is not themselves in need. Wealth disqualifies.
Non-Muslims, in most views, for Zakat specifically - though voluntary charity carries no such restriction, which is how charities help anyone in a crisis.
The family of the Prophet ﷺ were classically excluded in honour of their position, though some contemporary scholars allow it where there is need and nothing else is available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Most scholars say yes, provided you made a reasonable effort to check. If you gave in good faith to someone who seemed poor and later learned otherwise, the obligation is considered met. If you knew, or did not bother to look, it is not. Giving through an organisation that verifies need is one way of handling this.
Yes, and many do. A refugee may be poor, in debt and stranded away from home at once. Nothing requires you to pick which category applies, and nothing stops a person receiving on more than one basis.
It is reasonable to ask, and a well-run organisation will be able to answer. You will not usually get a named individual, since pooled funds do not work that way, and nor should you expect one. What you can expect is a clear statement of which categories the charity distributes under and on whose scholarly guidance.
Almost always, though scholars reach it by different routes. Most are poor or needy, which settles it immediately. Some also fall under the stranded traveller, and some under those in debt. The practical answer is that refugee relief is among the least disputed uses of Zakat there is.
Usually not directly. Buildings and institutions are not people, and most scholars require Zakat to become the property of someone who qualifies. Where a school teaches poor students, Zakat may sometimes reach them through fees or support, depending on how it is structured. Scholars who read fi sabilillah broadly allow more here. Ask before assuming.