Does Calling Zakat the “Dirt of the People” Make It Impure or Demean the Poor?

Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Question

I read that zakat is called the “impurities” (awsakh) of people’s wealth, in the hadith explaining why zakat is not lawful for the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) and his household.

Does that make zakat dirty, or does it demean the poor who receive it?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Merciful and Compassionate

Let me settle your heart: nothing in this hadith touches the dignity of zakat, and nothing in it lowers the poor.

What at first sounds like an insult is, in truth, one of the most tender teachings in the Sunna about how giving cleanses the one who gives.

The word “impurities” describes what zakat carries away from the giver’s wealth and soul, not any defect in the charity itself or in those who receive it.

What the Hadith Actually Says

The report is in Sahih Muslim, from the Companion Abd al-Muttalib ibn Rabi‘a (Allah be pleased with him). When two of the Prophet’s close kin sought to be appointed over zakat, he (Allah bless him and give him peace) declined, saying: “These charity offerings are only the dirt of the people (awsakh al-nas), and they are not lawful for Muhammad nor for the family of Muhammad.” [Sahih Muslim]

Imam Nawawi (Allah have mercy on him) explains that this “points to the reason for its prohibition to the family of the Prophet: that it is out of honoring them and keeping them free of impurities.

The meaning is that zakat is a purification for people’s wealth and souls, so it is like the wash-water of what has been cleansed away.” [Nawawi, Sharh Sahih Muslim]

When you wash your hands, the water carries the dirt; the dirt was on you, never in the water’s nature. Keeping the Prophetic household from it is about their rank, not the poor’s shame; in its place, the Law appointed for them a share of the fifth of the spoils.

The Word Zakat Itself Means Purification and Growth

This is written into the word. “Zakat” holds two senses at once: purification (tahara) and growth (nama’). To pay purifies the wealth and the one who owns it, and makes both grow.

Allah Most High commands: “Accept charity offerings from their wealth, cleansing them and making them grow thereby to full purity in faith and deed; and pray for them.” [Quran 9:103; Keller, The Quran Beheld]

The apparent loss is the very engine of the increase.

What the “Impurities” Are, and What They Are Not

Purifying wealth is not only the removal of what is outright unlawful. Unlawfully earned wealth is not cleansed by zakat at all; it must be returned or given away regardless.

The “impurities” this hadith names are subtler: the miserliness and small wrongs that gather around wealth, the heedless word or hasty oath, the shortfall that escaped us.

Imam Maturidi (Allah have mercy on him) glosses the cleansing as “from sins” and “from miserliness, withholding, and ignoble traits,” and Imam Alusi (Allah have mercy on him) says zakat “purifies the wealth from what taints it and the soul from stinginess.”

These are the fine dust that settles on all worldly earnings, which a portion of charity wipes away.

The Poor Are Honored, Not Lowered

Far from demeaning the poor, this teaching raises them: zakat is a right Allah placed in the wealth of the rich for the poor, so the one who receives takes what is owed to him by divine decree.

Imam Ghazali (Allah have mercy on him) presses further: the poor person who accepts is in reality the benefactor of the rich, receiving the “dirt” of another’s miserliness and carrying it to Allah, the way a cupper draws out bad blood so the body may heal. [Ghazali, Ihya Ulum al-Din]

The hand that receives is rendering a service to the giver.

Rest Easy About What You Give and Who Receives It

So hold this with confidence: your zakat is clean, and the poor who receive it stand in honor before Allah.

The “dirt” is only what leaves you when you give, and the giving is a mercy that runs in both directions. Hand it over as a washing you are grateful to perform, and think well of every hand that opens to accept it.

And Allah knows best.

[Shaykh] Faraz Rabbani

Related SeekersGuidance Answers

What’s the Difference Between Sadaqa and Zakat? — Ustadha Shazia Ahmad — zakat purifies the giver of sin and grows through the blessing of giving.

What Are the Rulings Regarding Zakat for the Ahl al-Bayt? — Shaykh Irshaad Sedick — the consensus that zakat is not given to the Prophetic family, citing this very hadith.

What Is the Ruling of the Prophetic Family Accepting Any Form of Charity? — Shaykh Yusuf Weltch — the prohibition and the latitude many scholars extend today.

Is Zakat Due for Unlawful Income? — Shaykh Irshaad Sedick — unlawful wealth is not zakatable and cannot be purified by zakat.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani is a recognized specialist scholar in the Islamic sciences, having studied under leading scholars from around the world. He is the Founder and Executive Director of SeekersGuidance.

Shaykh Faraz stands as a distinguished figure in Islamic scholarship. His journey in seeking knowledge is marked by dedication and depth. He spent ten years studying under some of the most revered scholars of our times. His initial studies took place in Damascus. He then continued in Amman, Jordan.

In Damascus, he was privileged to learn from the late Shaykh Adib al-Kallas. Shaykh Adib al-Kallas was renowned as the foremost theologian of his time. Shaykh Faraz also studied under Shaykh Hassan al-Hindi in Damascus. Shaykh Hassan is recognized as one of the leading Hanafi jurists of our era.

Upon completing his studies, Shaykh Faraz returned to Canada in 2007. His return marked a new chapter in his service to the community. He founded SeekersGuidance. The organization reflects his commitment to spreading Islamic knowledge. It aims to be reliable, relevant, inspiring, and accessible. This mission addresses both online and on-the-ground needs.

Shaykh Faraz is also an accomplished author. His notable work includes “Absolute Essentials of Islam: Faith, Prayer, and the Path of Salvation According to the Hanafi School.” This book, published by White Thread Press in 2004, is a significant contribution to Islamic literature.

His influence extends beyond his immediate community. Since 2011, Shaykh Faraz has been recognized as one of the 500 most influential Muslims. This recognition comes from the Royal Islamic Strategic Studies Center. It underscores his impact on the global Islamic discourse.

Shaykh Faraz Rabbani’s life and work embody a profound commitment to Islamic scholarship. His teachings continue to enlighten and guide seekers of knowledge worldwide.