Zakat Eligible Recipients
Understand who qualifies to receive your Zakat. Learn the eight categories outlined in the Qur’an and how Crisis Aid distributes Zakat with care and compliance.
The 8 Zakat Recipient Categories in Islam
ChatGPT said:
Zakat is far more than an act of generosity—it is a sacred pillar of Islam, a duty prescribed by Allah ﷻ that must be carried out with precision, sincerity, and care. Unlike voluntary charity, Zakat is not meant for general causes; it must be distributed to the eight specific categories outlined in the Qur’an, in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60).
These categories include the poor—those who have nothing—and the needy—those who have some means but still fall short of a dignified standard of living. It includes Zakat administrators who ensure funds are collected, safeguarded, and delivered properly. It also covers new Muslims or those whose hearts are being drawn to Islam, individuals in slavery or captivity seeking their freedom, people burdened by legitimate debt, those striving in the path of Allah through religious or humanitarian efforts, and travellers cut off from their wealth who are in need of assistance.
These are not just names in a verse—they represent real people facing hardship, whose lives can be transformed through the power of your Zakat. That’s why, at Crisis Aid, we take the amanah of your Zakat with utmost seriousness. Every recipient is carefully verified. Every pound is handled with full transparency and directed where it is most needed, according to Islamic law.
Zakat is meant to restore balance in society, lift people out of hardship, and purify your wealth. When it is given correctly—to the right people, at the right time, and for the right reasons—it becomes an act of mercy that benefits both the giver and the receiver. With Crisis Aid, your Zakat fulfils its divine purpose—delivered with integrity, respect, and deep commitment to the values that make it sacred.
Gaza Emergency Appeal
Food For Life
Zakat
Sadaqah Jariyah
Quran Memorisation
How Crisis Aid Identifies and Supports Zakat Recipients
Giving Zakat is an act of worship that carries immense spiritual weight—but it doesn’t end with the payment itself. Ensuring your Zakat reaches those truly entitled to it is just as vital. At Crisis Aid, we honour this responsibility with deep care, operating with full Shariah compliance, transparency, and compassion.
We work across some of the world’s most fragile and impoverished regions, including Gaza, Yemen, Pakistan, Somalia, and Sudan—places where war, famine, displacement, and poverty leave millions without access to basic necessities. Within these communities, our field teams conduct careful, in-person assessments to identify who qualifies under the eight Qur’anic categories of Zakat eligibility.
We prioritise the most vulnerable—orphans without guardians, widows without financial support, elderly and disabled individuals with no stable income, families torn apart by conflict or disaster, those drowning in debt through no fault of their own, and refugees or travellers cut off from their resources.
Crisis Aid’s Zakat programmes are tailored to meet these needs directly and respectfully. We provide essential food, safe shelter, emergency medical aid, education support, and income-generating tools—ensuring that every form of assistance is given only to verified recipients. Our distributions are carried out privately to protect the dignity of those we serve, and we maintain full records of every delivery for audit and accountability.
Beyond aid delivery, we engage communities in education and outreach to strengthen understanding of Zakat—its rights, responsibilities, and role in sustainable upliftment.
By giving your Zakat through Crisis Aid, you are placing your trust in a system rooted in Islamic ethics and built on accountability. You’re not just fulfilling a duty—you’re restoring dignity, empowering families, and planting seeds of hope where they are needed most.
IMPACT OF OUR WORK
Building A Masjid
