RECIPIENTS OF ZAKAH

For all types of Zakah, the intention is obligatory upon setting one's Zakah aside. Zakah must be paid to the Muslims among the eight categories of people deserving of Zakah mentioned explicitly in the Qur’an:
1. Those who are poor who earn less than half their basic needs (al-fuqara');
2. Those who are poor who earn half but less than all their basic needs (al-masakin);
3. The Zakah workers who are assigned by the caliph (al-^amilun ^alayha);