Is it permissible to give alms to beggars we encounter on the streets? To whom must we give alms?
Giving alms to the needy in order to seek the pleasure of Allah Almighty is one of the greatest acts of worship in Islam. Allah Almighty has linked it with prayer in many verses, but rather it can be said that He has not recommended anything after prayer as much as He has recommended it. It is of two types: obligatory alms, which refer to Zakat, Khums, and vowed offerings, and one who abandons them commits a sin, and non-obligatory alms, which refer to anything other than them and one who abandons them does not commit a sin unless a Muslim in need asks for it; because spending on him in cases of necessity is obligatory, even if it is not Zakat, Khums, or vowed offerings. Rather, it becomes obligatory as soon as the state of necessity becomes apparent, even if there is no knowledge of it; because Allah Almighty has absolutely forbidden driving a beggar away, saying: ﴿وَأَمَّا السَّائِلَ فَلَا تَنْهَرْ﴾[1]; “And as for the beggar, do not drive him away.” It appears that rejecting him while having the ability to spend is driving him away. The intended meaning of a Muslim’s state of necessity is his inability to provide the basic necessities of his life, such as food, clothing, shelter, medical care, and freedom in the sense of not being imprisoned without committing a crime. Based on this, it is obligatory for those who can to spend on every Muslim who informs of his state of necessity, with the possibility of his truthfulness, even if he may not be truthful in reality; because he is obligated to be truthful, and those who can are obligated to spend, and each of them is questioned about his own obligation, and there is no doubt that in principle, a Muslim is truthful when informing about his condition, and precaution requires spending on him, but rather the statement of Allah Almighty requires it, where He has said: ﴿وَآتَى الْمَالَ عَلَى حُبِّهِ ذَوِي الْقُرْبَى وَالْيَتَامَى وَالْمَسَاكِينَ وَابْنَ السَّبِيلِ وَالسَّائِلِينَ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ﴾[2]; “And he gives wealth, out of love for Him, to relatives, orphans, the needy, wayfarers, beggars, and (to free) the slaves”; because He has joined beggars with relatives, orphans, and the needy. This is evidence that spending on them is good, even if they are not from those mentioned categories.
Yes, it is not good to spend on them if it is clear that they are lying; because those who beg from people despite their ability to provide the basic necessities of their lives are among the “foolish”, and it is not permissible to give money to the foolish unless it is something they use up immediately, such as food and clothing; because Allah Almighty has said: ﴿وَلَا تُؤْتُوا السُّفَهَاءَ أَمْوَالَكُمُ الَّتِي جَعَلَ اللَّهُ لَكُمْ قِيَامًا وَارْزُقُوهُمْ فِيهَا وَاكْسُوهُمْ وَقُولُوا لَهُمْ قَوْلًا مَعْرُوفًا﴾[3]; “And do not give the foolish your wealth that Allah has made a means of support for you. However, feed and clothe them from it, and speak to them with kind words.” Also, giving money to those who beg from people to fund forbidden activities, such as drinking wine and using drugs, is helping them in sin and transgression, while Allah Almighty has forbidden it, saying: ﴿وَلَا تَعَاوَنُوا عَلَى الْإِثْمِ وَالْعُدْوَانِ ۚ وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَدِيدُ الْعِقَابِ﴾[4]; “And do not help one another in sin and transgression, and fear Allah. Indeed, Allah is severe in punishment.” Undoubtedly, the best spending is the spending on Muslims who do not beg from people despite their poverty, but rather they do hard and arduous work for low wages. They are known by such work and the signs of poverty in their appearance; as Allah Almighty has said: ﴿لِلْفُقَرَاءِ الَّذِينَ أُحْصِرُوا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ لَا يَسْتَطِيعُونَ ضَرْبًا فِي الْأَرْضِ يَحْسَبُهُمُ الْجَاهِلُ أَغْنِيَاءَ مِنَ التَّعَفُّفِ تَعْرِفُهُمْ بِسِيمَاهُمْ لَا يَسْأَلُونَ النَّاسَ إِلْحَافًا ۗ وَمَا تُنْفِقُوا مِنْ خَيْرٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ بِهِ عَلِيمٌ﴾[5]; “For the poor who are confined in the way of Allah, unable to travel on the earth, an ignorant person would think they are rich because of their self-restraint. You would know them by their appearance. They do not beg from people persistently, and whatever good you spend, surely Allah knows it.”
We ask Allah the Most Merciful to enrich all needy Muslims, and this can be achieved only when His Caliph on the earth comes to power and then establishes justice, eliminates discrimination, assigns each one of them to a job he is qualified for, and dismisses them from jobs they are not qualified for. His Caliph on the earth will come to power only when a sufficient number of Muslims gather to seek and support him. Therefore, the poor, the needy, debtors, and the oppressed among them should take the lead in this; because they are the most in need of it. If they do not do it, how can the rich among them do it?! That is why most of the helpers of the Prophets were from the poor, and they were the first to believe, emigrate, fight, enjoin right, and forbid wrong. Therefore, how worthy they are to be the first helpers of the Mahdi, peace be upon him.