Zakāt & Ṣadaqa

The majority of fuqahāʾ hold that zakāt must be transferred into the ownership of those who are eligible among the recognised categories of zakāt recipients. Therefore, it is not permissible to dispose of the zakāt on behalf of an zakāt-eligible recipient without their permission; otherwise, it would be considered a voluntary charity [ṣadaqa al-taṭawwu] and would not count as zakāt.