What is the ruling on giving Zakat to a recipient who is later discovered to be a slave, a disbeliever, a Hashimi, or a close relative to whom giving Zakat is prohibited?

Primary text

The payment is definitively invalid, representing a single narration from Ahmad. This is because such individuals are not entitled recipients, and their status is generally not easily concealed. Therefore, the payment is voided, similar to human debts. This situation differs from the case where the recipient is merely wealthy, as poverty and wealth are matters difficult to ascertain, supported by the Quranic verse stating that the ignorant perceive some people as wealthy due to their modesty (Quran 2:273). Thus, the apparent claim of poverty suffices in that case, unlike these other categories.