المؤلفة قلوبهم
al-Muʾallafa Qulūbuhum
Group
Those whose hearts are yet to be reconciled; the Quran lists them among the recipients of zakah.
What it means
The phrase means “those whose hearts are to be reconciled”. The Quran names them in its list of eight classes who may receive zakāh (9:60). They are people whose goodwill or friendship is to be won, such as new converts, or leaders whose support would help the community. The Prophet gave gifts to some leading men of Quraysh after the battle of Hunayn to win their hearts, and the practice rests on that example. Jurists differ on whether the class applies in later times.
Term and Arabic as listed in Ismail al Faruqi, Toward Islamic English (International Institute of Islamic Thought, 1995), p. 63, listed as AL MU’ALLAFAH QULŪBUHUM. The definition is restated here.