Regarding the recipients of zakat, how do we distinguish between the poor and the needy?

As for the recipients of zakat, we say they are the eight categories mentioned by Allah the Mighty and Majestic. Regarding the poor and the needy, what is the limit and distinction between them?

There is no doubt that the poor person is in greater need than the needy, and for this reason you find that the Prophet ﷺ sought refuge from poverty but did not seek refuge from neediness.

The reason for this is that poverty means having nothing.

Whenever a person does not have food for his day, he is poor. If a person has food for his day,

then he moves to being needy. So whoever finds food for his day is considered needy, meaning he needs to work the next day to get something. We say: this is a needy person.

Like the situation of some workers who work for daily wages or similar, and spend what they earn in a day, or those who only have enough to fill their stomachs and the like, we say this is a miskin.

As for the faqir who does not even find food for his day, we say a person should distinguish between them, then give to the one who is in greater need, give to the one who is more in need. Why?

Because in our time, being miskin has levels. It is true that poverty is a lack, but we also say that this lack has levels, as a person might not find.

He does not find food even for his day, nor for his lunch, nor for his dinner, but on top of that, he is also in debt.

And on top of that, he is sick, so sickness, debt, dependents, and not having what he needs all come together. So I also say it is on levels, and likewise, being miskin is also on levels.

So the person who finds enough for his day but not for the next is miskin, and among them is one who finds enough for two days but not the third. So there are levels, and a person should look for the one in greater need.

So he spends his wealth, and Allah knows best.