8. Wayfarer

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The eighth is: wayfarers,

Wayfarers i.e., travellers who are cut off from everything and have no money. Such a traveller may be given enough zakah to enable him to reach his homeland, even if he is rich in his own country, because he is in need. In this case, we do not say that the traveller has to borrow money and pay it back, because in this case we would be imposing a debt on him. But if he chooses to borrow and pay it back, and not take the zakah, then it is up to him. If we find a person who is travelling from Makkah to Madinah, and he loses his money (and supplies) and does not have anything, but he is rich in Madinah, then we should give him just enough to help him reach Madinah, because this is what he needs, and we should not give him any more than that.