The relationship between the state and livelihood charities, as a component of the third sector, has undergone profound conceptual and structural transformations over time. This study, using a descriptive-analytical approach, traces the evolution of the state's role from welfare models to regulatory and network governance. It demonstrates that state-charity engagement is shaped by governance paradigms, power structures, political preferences, and jurisprudential and ethical foundations. Theoretically, by employing models such as Young, Najam, and Schuppert, four relational patterns between the state and charities—collaborative, complementary, co-optative, and confrontational—are examined. Findings reveal that in the neoliberal era, governments increasingly outsourced social services to private and charitable sectors. However, this trend has led to challenges such as dependency, diminished autonomy of charities, and misalignment with their social missions. From an Islamic jurisprudential and ethical standpoint, the state bears a binding responsibility to ensure the basic welfare of the poor, and is obliged to establish organized support systems grounded in justice, social solidarity (takāful), and public entitlements to natural resources. This research underscores the need to redefine the role of the state in charity governance and advocates for an integrated model that combines institutional, participatory, and normative approaches in managing state-charity interactions.