There is some confusion surrounding the issue of Zakat distribution to those from Syed and Sharifah ancestry. Some parties allege that these individuals may not receive Zakat as they are descendants of Rasulullah SAW.
To address this we must refer to the Dalil which states that giving Zakat to Nabi Muhammad SAW and his descendants is Haram.

Nabi Muhammad SAW said:
إن الصدقة لا تنبغي لال محمد
Which means: Verily these sadaqat are the impurities of people, and they are not permissible for Muhammad (may peace be upon him), and for the family of Muhammad.
(Sahih Muslim)

According to Qaradawi, this Dalil is not qat’l or clear in meaning because the words of Ali Muhammad are no different from those of Ali Ibrahim dan Ali ‘Imran as Allah SWT decreed in Surah al-‘Imran verse 33:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ اصْطَفَىٰ آدَمَ وَنُوحًا وَآلَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَآلَ عِمْرَانَ عَلَى الْعَالَمِينَ

Which means: Indeed, Allah chose Adam, Noah, the family of Abraham, and the family of Imrân above all people of their time.
This shows that the restriction was not meant to last in perpetuity but only during those times. The same applies to the words of Ali Muhammad whereby disallowing giving Zakat to the family of the Prophet is also limited to during his lifetime.
While the majority of scholars in the Syafi’e school are of the opinion that giving Zakat to Rasulullah SAW’s descendants is impermissible, there are some who allow doing so in current times. This is because it can be highly challenging to accurately ascertain if one is in fact a descendant or otherwise. There is also a concern that those in genuine need of Zakat be denied the same simply because of their name beginning with Syed or Syarifah.

The majority of scholars opine that only family members of Rasulullah SAW from the Bani Hashim and Bani Abdul Muttalib lineage are considered Ahlul Bait.

Scholars have different opinions on Zakat distribution to family members of Rasulullah SAW.
The majority of scholars opine that this should not be done due to various Dalil rendering it impermissible. Another reason is that family members of Rasulullah SAW received part of al-Khumus (one fifth of spoils of war).

However a number of scholars including some Syafiiyah opine that Zakat should be distributed to family members of Rasulullah SAW if the source of al-Khumus is no longer in existence. According to them, the rationale of disallowing them from receiving Zakat is the allocation of al-Khumus to them by the Baitulmal. However, if they are no longer receiving the al-Khumus, then they may receive Zakat on the basis of need.

Therefore, Syarif or Syarifah who are not from the Bani Hashim and Bani Abdul Muttalib lineage should be given Zakat because it is not made impermissible to those from their lineage.

Whereas Syarif or Syarifah of the Bani Hashim and Bani Abdul Muttalib lineage should receive Zakat as Baitulmal no longer allocates them al-Khumus in current times.