It is beyond the scope of this column to go into the details of these differences. It is sufficient to say that all sorts of poverty and all its degrees qualify the poor to benefit from zakah. The operative criterion which determines poverty is not how little a man has, but whether he has enough or not. If a person has an income from his work or from a pension or a building he lets out, but the income does not satisfy his own and his family's needs, then he qualifies as a poor person who is entitled to receive zakah. Basic needs include food and clothes for the person and his family as well as reasonable accommodation and furniture and the necessary tools for his trade and means of transport.
Scholars agree on the meaning of richness which makes one liable to pay out zakah.
This sort of richness means that one owns a certain minimum of money in certain conditions. According to the Maliki and El-Shaf'ie and the Hanbali schools of thought, richness means owning what is enough for one's needs. He who does not need extra money to provide for his basic needs cannot be entitled to zakah, even if he does not own anything. Conversely, if he is in need, then he qualifies as poor or needy, even if he owns what may be considered a fair amount of money by many people. Thus, poverty means being in need while richness is the opposite case.