All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of The Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his family and companions.
Zakah (Alms) is a key pillar of Islam equal to obligatory prayer. Further, Allah The Most Exalted has identified the categories eligible to receive it in the following verse: " The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and (for) the wayfarer; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is Knower, Wise.” [At-Tawbah/60]. Therefore, whoever belongs to one of the afore categories is entitled to receive Zakah or else he isn`t.
Moreover, Jurists have described the poor eligible to receive Zakah as follows:The poor and the needy are those who have no job or money that enables them to cover their basic needs of living, decent food and shelter, that they are spared begging or miserliness due to their hard conditions.
Accordingly, if a description or more fits a person, then he is eligible to receive Zakah, or else he isn`t entitled to it. However, it is permissible to give the latter from the charities and donations, which may also be given on a larger scale. We pray that Allah accepts them and reward their givers. And Allah the Almighty knows best.