✅Answer: Please pay attention to the following narrations:

1 عن محمد بن مسلم عن أحدهما أَنَّهُ سَأَلَهُ عن الْفَقِير و الْمِسْكِين فقال الْفَقِيرُ الَّذي لا يَسْأَلُ و الْمِسْكِينُ الَّذي هُوَ أَجْهَدُ مِنْهُ الَّذِي يَسْأَل

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 502

Muhammad ibn Muslim asked one of the two Imams, al-Baqir or al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon them), about the poor (faqir) and the destitute (miskin). The Imam said: The poor person is one who does not ask, and the destitute person is in a worse state than him, as he asks!

2 عن أَبي بصير قال: قُلْتُ لِأَبِي عبداللَّه قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّوَجَلَّ إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقاتُ لِلْفُقَراءِ و الْمَساكِين قال الْفَقِيرُ الَّذي لا يَسْأَلُ النَّاس و الْمِسْكِينُ أَجْهَدُ مِنْهُ و الْبَائِسُ أَجْهَدُهُم

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 3, p. 501

Abu Basir says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) about the saying of God Almighty and Glorious (in Surah al-Tawbah, verse 60) which says: 'Indeed, alms are for the poor and the destitute'. The Imam said: The poor person is one who does not ask, and the destitute person is in a worse state than him, and the miserable (ba'is) person is in even greater hardship than all of them!

3 On the authority of Ali, in explaining the reasons for people's livelihoods, he said: And as for the purpose of alms, they are only for people who have no share in government, no portion in construction and cultivation of the land, no wealth for trade, and no knowledge or ability to be hired and work!

📚 Al-Muhkam wa al-Mutashabih, p. 60

Imam Ali (peace of God be upon him), in explaining the reasons for people's livelihoods, said: As for the purpose of alms, they are indeed for those who have no share in governmental affairs, no portion in construction and cultivating the land, no wealth for trade, and no knowledge or ability to be hired and work!

So God has placed for them in the wealth of the rich that which sustains them and removes their poverty and hardship!

4 عن عبدالرحمن بن الحجاج عمن سمعه و قد سماه عن أَبِي عبداللَّه قال: سَأَلْتُهُ عَنِ الزَّكَاةِ ما يَأْخُذُ مِنْهَا الرَّجُلُ....الي ان قال...فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ إِنَّمَا يُعْطَوْنَ مِنَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى السَّنَةِ فَلِلرَّجُلِ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ ما يَكْفِيهِ و يَكْفِي عِيَالَهُ مِنَ السَّنَةِ إِلَى السَّنَة

📚 Ma'ani al-Akhbar, p. 153

The narrator says: I asked Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) about zakat and how much a person should take from it? ... until the Imam said: Indeed, the poor and destitute people are given from this year until the next year, so a person can take for himself and his family from this year until the next year an amount that is sufficient for him!

5 On the authority of the righteous servant, in a long hadith, he said: Regarding zakat... So the governor takes the zakat and spends it in the ways that God has designated. Which are eight shares: for the poor, the destitute, the collectors of zakat, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, for freeing slaves, for debtors, in the way of God, and for the wayfarer. These eight shares are distributed among them in their respective places in an amount that makes them self-sufficient for their year, without being stingy or tightfisted.

📚 Al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 541

Imam al-Kazim (peace of God be upon him) said in a hadith about zakat: So the governor takes the zakat and spends it in the ways that God has designated. Which are eight shares: for the poor and the destitute, the collectors of zakat, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, for freeing slaves, for debtors, in the way of God, and for the wayfarer, and he divides these eight shares among them in their respective places in an amount that makes them self-sufficient for one year, without being tightfisted!

6 عن أَبي عبداللَّه قال:..لا تَحِلُّ الزَّكَاةُ لِمَنْ لَهُ خَمْسُونَ دِرْهَماً و لَهُ حِرْفَةٌ يَقُوتُ بِها عِيَالَه

📚 Ilal al-Shara'i, p. 370

Imam al-Sadiq (peace of God be upon him) said in a hadith: Zakat is not lawful for a person who has only 50 dirhams of money but has a profession and a job whose income provides for his family's livelihood!

7 Ali says: I asked Imam al-Kazim (peace be upon him) about a beggar who has one day's worth of food. Is it lawful for him to ask, and if something is given to him without him asking, is it lawful for him to accept it? The Imam said: Even if he has one month's worth of food, he can take from the zakat an amount that is sufficient for him for one year, because indeed its criterion is from this year to the next year (i.e., one year)!

📚 Ilal al-Shara'i, p. 371

✅According to the above narrations and others, a person whose annual income is less than his annual expenses and needs due to inability to earn a living or low income, etc., is considered poor and destitute to the extent of his annual shortage. And his needs are met from zakat, charities, expiations, etc. However, the destitute person is in a more difficult situation than the poor person, as his need is so severe that he is forced to ask others.

But a person who has one year's worth of expenses or whose annual income is sufficient for his expenses is not poor or destitute.