Is it permissible to allocate Zakat funds entirely to a single category out of the eight prescribed categories?
Chapter on Zakat on Sheep
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
It is permissible to restrict the Zakat payment to only one category of the eight, and it is permissible to give the entire amount to a single individual. This is the position held by Umar, Hudhayfah, Ibn Abbas, Sa'id bin Jubayr, Al-Hasan, An-Nakh'i, 'Ata', Sufyan ath-Thawri, Abu Ubayd, and the Ahl al-Ra'y. The rationale supporting this view is derived from the Prophet's (PBUH) instruction to Mu'adh to inform people that charity is taken from their wealthy and returned to their poor (a single category). Subsequently, when other funds arrived, the Prophet (PBUH) allocated them to other categories, such as the Mu'allafati Qulubuhum (those whose hearts are to be reconciled), and later to others like Qabisa bin Al-Mukhariq and Salama bin Sakhr Al-Bayadi.
Supporting text
A dissenting view, attributed to An-Nakh'i if the wealth is substantial, suggests that the funds should be divided among the categories, though it is permissible to allocate to a single category if the wealth is small. Malik states that one should prioritize the areas of greatest need, giving precedence to the first category encountered. 'Ikrimah and Shafi'i mandate dividing the Zakat according to the existing six categories whose shares are fixed, distributing equally among them, and further requiring that each category's share not be given to fewer than three individuals if three or more are found; if only one is found, that one receives the entire share of that category. This position is supported by the argument that Allah made the charity for all of them, sharing them equally, thus it is impermissible to restrict it to only some.