Is there equality or preference in the distribution of provisions?

General Chapter

Al-Mughni

Book of Deposits

Book 34 · Issue 2 · Bab 1

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If recipients have equal needs for sufficiency, none should be preferred over the other, as they are given according to their specific sufficiency requirements annually. This ruling aligns with the opinion advocating for equality among recipients.

Supporting text

The opposing view advocates for preferring those with seniority and service ('sawaabiq wal-ghinaa') in Islam over others, based on the judge's discretion. 'Umar set a precedent for this by granting different amounts, such as five thousand, four thousand, three thousand, and two thousand, without strictly adhering to sufficiency calculations.