Is it permissible to fulfill the obligation of Zakat for a group by giving the amount due for one person, or vice versa?
Chapter on Zakat al-Fitr
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
It is permissible to give from one person's due charity the amount required for a group, and it is permissible to give from the group's due charity the amount required for one person. There is no known disagreement regarding giving the amount due for one person to a group, as this fulfills their obligation by directing their charity to its rightful recipient. Regarding giving the charity due for a group to a single person, the view held by Malik, Abu Thur, Ibn al-Mundhir, and the People of Opinion (Ahl al-Ra'y) is that it is permissible, treating it as a non-specific charity (like a voluntary gift) that can be directed to one person.
Supporting text
Al-Shafi'i and his followers mandate distributing the Zakat among the eight specified categories of recipients, requiring the distribution of each category's share to three individuals within that category, as previously detailed. The justification given is that since the Zakat is for non-specified recipients, it is valid to direct the entirety to one person, similar to voluntary donations (Tattavu').