Who is the wayfarer who may be given zakaah?
Question

                Can a traveller who does not have any money with which to travel be given zakaah because he is a wayfarer?.
Praise be to Allah.
    The wayfarer (ibn al-sabeel) is the traveller who has 
    become stranded, i.e., he does not have enough money to continue his 
    journey. He may be given zakaah to help him reach his destination. 

    But if he is in his homeland and wants to travel, then he is 
    not a wayfarer, and he cannot be given zakaah on that basis. But if his trip 
    is for an urgent reason such as medical treatment, and he does not have 
    enough money to travel, then he may be given zakaah from the share of the 
    poor, not from the share of the wayfarers. 

    Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:

     The wayfarer is called ibn al-sabeel (lit. “son of 
    the road”) because he sticks to the road, and the one who sticks to 
    something is described as its son in Arabic. So what is meant by ibn 
    al-sabeel is the traveller who is still travelling, the traveller who has 
    become stranded or cut off, i.e., he has lost his money and he does not have 
    enough to enable him to reach his home. 

    The wayfarer should be given according to his need; it is not 
    essential that he have no money.  

    Hence we say that we should give zakaah to the wayfarer, even 
    if he is among the richest of people in his homeland, because he has become 
    stranded and because he is in need in this situation. We do not tell him: 
    you are rich so borrow money. He should be given whatever will help him 
    reach his homeland. This may vary, so we should take his situation into 
    account so that he will not feel humiliated. 

    If he is one of those who are used to travelling first class, 
    should he be given first class or economy? 

    This is a disputed matter, but it is most likely that he 
    should be given that which will not cause him discomfort and humiliation. 

    It makes no difference whether the journey is long or short. 

    As for the one who is setting out on a journey from his home, 
    he should not be given zakaah, because the one who is setting out on a 
    journey from his home cannot truthfully be called a wayfarer. If he says “I 
    need to travel to Madeenah” but he does not have any money, then we cannot 
    give him zakaah on the grounds that he is a wayfarer, because he cannot 
    truthfully be described as such. But if his trip to Madeenah is because of a 
    need, such as medical treatment, and he does not have any money with which 
    to travel, then he may be given zakaah on another basis, namely poverty. End 
    quote from al-Sharh al-Mumti’, 6/154-156.