29. Can I Give Zakaat To My Poor Relatives?

By Asma bint Shameem

QUESTION

Can I give zakaat to my poor relatives?

ANSWER

Yes, Zakaat can be given to your poor blood relatives.

And actually giving Zakaat money to blood relatives is a beautiful deed that will earn us DOUBLE REWARDS.

- one for spending in the Path of Allaah
- one for upholding ties of kinship.

The Prophet sal Allaahu Alayhi wa sallam said:

“Charity given to a poor person is charity, but charity given to a relative is two things, charity and upholding the ties of kinship.” (al-Nasaa’i, al-Tirmidhi- saheeh by al-Albaani)

What if they’re my parents or children?

Zakaat may be given to blood relatives but it cannot be given to those you’re OBLIGED to take care of.

So for example, a father can NOT give zakaat to his children that he’s RESPONSIBLE for and OBLIGED to spend on.

Similarly if a person’s parents are old, he or she is OBLIGED to spend on his or her parents.

And they can not give them zakaat.

That’s because it’s kind of giving ‘his own self’ Zakaah.

 Ibn Qudaamah said:

“None of the obligatory Zakaah should be given to parents, no matter how far the line of ascent goes (i.e., grandfathers and grandmothers) or to children, no matter how far the line of descent goes (i.e., grandchildren).” [al-Mughni (2/509)]

 Ibn al-Mundhir said:

“The scholars are unanimously agreed that it is not permissible to give zakaah to parents in cases where the giver is obliged to spend on them, because giving zakaah to them will mean that they no longer have any need for his spending on them, and the benefit of that will come back to him, so it is as if he is giving it to himself, and that is not permissible.
The same applies if he were to use it to pay off his own debt.”

EXCEPTIONS to the rule

It’s not allowed to give zakaat to those blood relatives that you’re obliged to spend on UNLESS the zakaat is used to pay off their debts or you don’t have enough money to spend on them.

Shaikh Ibn Uthaymeen explains:

“If these relatives are among those on whom you are obliged to spend, but you give them your zakaah so that you can save money, then that is not permissible.

BUT if your wealth is not sufficient to spend on them, then there is nothing wrong with giving them some of your zakaah.

Similarly, if they are in DEBT and you pay off their debts from your zakaah, there is nothing wrong with your doing that, because a person is not obliged to pay off his relative’s debt, so if he pays it off from his zakaah then that is fine.

Even if it is your son or your father who owes a debt to someone and cannot pay it off, it is permissible for you to pay it off from your zakaah.” (Fatawa al-Shaykh Muhammad al-Saalih al-‘Uthaymeen, 1/461)

Conclusion

- It’s good to give Zakaat to your blood relatives

- You cannot give Zakaat to those blood relatives that you’re obligated to spend on UNLESS:

a) You’re paying off their debt.

b) If you don’t have enough to spend on them.

In such cases, Zakaat may be given even to those who you’re obliged to spend on.

And Allaah knows best