Ruling 1997 — Alms Tax (Zakat)

If the owner of some wealth makes a poor person his representative for distributing the zakat of that wealth, in the event that the poor person deems it probable that the owner did not intend for him to take zakat for himself as well, he cannot take anything from it for himself; but, if he has certainty (yaqīn) that this was not the intention of the owner, then he can take from it for himself.