The responsibility of verifying Zakāh eligibility lies primarily with the one giving Zakāh (the zakāh-giver), and it is a matter of trust for their agent (if they trust it to their agen). Scholars have clarified the nature of each category:

• The poor (faqīr): Someone who does not have enough to meet their basic needs.
• The needy (miskīn): Someone who has some means but not enough to reach the minimum threshold for Zakāh.
• The indebted (ghārim): Someone who has debt due to essential and necessary needs, or who has taken on a debt guarantee for someone else in a lawful matter.

Regarding the judgment based on apparent circumstances, it is generally sufficient for making a determination. The zakāh-giver is not required to investigate the poverty of the recipient beyond direct knowledge, indicative evidence, or information from a trustworthy person.

If Zakāh is given based on this basis, it is considered valid, and the obligation is fulfilled.

According to the scholars from the Ḥanafī school, along with some Mālikīs, if Zakāh is given to someone believed to be poor and it later turns out to be incorrect, the Zakāh is still valid, and the obligation is fulfilled. This is analogous to someone who tries to determine the Qīblah direction for prayer and later discovers they were wrong; their prayer is still valid.

Fatwā issued by Dr. Khālid Naṣr