The recipients of zakah, unlike ordinary charities in Islam, are primarily Muslims; Allah has specified the categories of recipients in the Qur’an:

“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. (Qur’an: 9: 60)

A portion of zakah, however, can be given to those whose hearts are inclined towards Islam; these are those non-Muslims who are on the verge of converting to Islam. But it cannot be given to others. Ordinary charities, however, can be given to both Muslims and non-Muslims. Islam also teaches Muslims to feed the poor in general, without any discrimination between Muslims and non-Muslims. Furthermore, Islam is emphatic about establishing good neighborliness, whether Muslims or non-Muslims. The Prophet said, “Jibreel continued to advise me on being good to my neighbors so that I feared that he would (one day) make him my legal heir!). So even if zakah is only limited to Muslims, Islam never closes the doors of charity to non-Muslims. May Allah inspire us to be charitable to all of God’s creatures—aameen.