Answered by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Can we pay zakat to a newly converted Muslim even if he or she is not ”miskeen” or poor?
Answer:
Walaikum assalam wa rahmatullah,
It is a condition for any recipient of zakat that they be poor or needy.
The category of those whose hearts are to be reconciled to Islam’ was abrogated after the establishment of Islam, as stated by Sayyiduna Umar (Allah be pleased with him). [Kasani, Bada’i` al-Sana’i`; Ibn Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
Wassalam,
