The People of Az-Zakah

Paying Az-Zakah to the poor Brother

Question :

I have a brother who is married and poor, and he owes a debt. I also have a sister who is married to a poor man who owes a debt. Is it permissible for me to pay the Zakah of my wealth completely to both of them if the Zakah covers their debts, or should they only get a portion of the Zakah of wealth?

Answer:

There is no problem in paying Az-Zakah to both of them if they are both Muslims and they both owe debts and your Zakah will cover their debts that they cannot repay. This is because they both are included in Allâh's Statement:
"Verily As-Sadaqat (Az-Zakah) is only for the Fuqara" (poor) and the Masakin (needy)..."
And success is from Allâh.

The ruling on paying Az-Zakah to one's Mother

Question :

Is it permissible for a person to give Az-Zakah to his mother?

Answer:

It is not allowed for the Muslim to give his Zakah to his parents or his children. Rather he should spend on them from his wealth if they need that and he is able to spend on them. And success is from Allâh.

The Miskin (needy) and the Faqir (poor)

Question :

Who is the Miskin (needy) who is a recipient of Az-Zakah, and what is the difference between him and the Faqir (poor)?

Answer:

The Miskin is the Faqir (poor person) who cannot find what completely suffices his needs, and the Faqir is in more severe need than he (the Miskin) is. Both of them are from the categories of people who are eligible to receive Az-Zakah and who are mentioned in Allâh, the Most High's Statement:
"Verily As-Sadaqat (Az-Zakah) is only for the Fuqara' (poor), the Masakin (needy) and those who are employed to collect it (the funds)..."

Whoever has an income that suffices him for food, drink, clothing and housing, whether that is from a donation, earnings, a job or anything similar to that, then he is not called Faqir (poor) or Miskin (needy). Therefore, it is not permissible to distribute Az-Zakah to him.

The ruling on distributing Az-Zakah to the Brother and the Uncle

Question :

Is it permissible for a brother to give Az-Zakah to his needy brother who is a family provider and he works, but his income does not suffice him? Likewise, is it permissible to give Az-Zakah to the poor uncle? Likewise, can the woman pay the Zakah of her wealth to her brother, aunt or sister?

Answer:

There is no harm in the man or woman paying their Zakah to their poor brother, poor sister, poor uncle, poor aunt and the rest of their poor relatives, due to the generality of the evidences. Actually, giving Az-Zakah to them is a charity and keeping good family relations. This is due to the Prophet's statement:
"Giving charity to the Miskin (needy person) is (counted as) charity and giving it to the relative is (counted as) charity and keeping good family relations."

This applies to all except the parents and their parents, and the children-males or females- and their children. For verily Az-Zakah is not paid to them even if they are poor. Rather, it is obligatory upon the person to spend on them from his wealth if he is able to do so and there is no one to spend on them other than him.

Paying Az-Zakah to the Sister

Question :

I have a sister who is married and she is a good woman. Is it permissible for me to pay a portion from the Zakah of my wealth to her to raise the level of her living and help her in rearing her children? This is particularly due to the fact that her husband does not care about anyone but himself, and we are tired of trying to rectify his situation.

Answer:

If she is poor, and her husband does not spend on her, and she is unable to rectify his situation, and there is no one to make him do that, then it is permissible to give her from Az- Zakah according to her need.

Az-Zakah for a Person who wants to get married

Question :

There is an upright (i.e., religious) young man who wants to get married, and there is no doubt that he needs assistance to complete the matter of marriage. Is it permissible for me to give him from Az-Zakah to help him in the matter of his marriage?

Answer:

It is permissible to pay Az-Zakah to this young man as a means of helping him get married if he cannot afford it. And Allâh is the Giver of success.

The ruling on paying Az-Zakah to the poor Husband

Question :

Is it permissible for the woman to give the Zakah of her wealth to her husband if he is poor?

Answer:

It is permissible for the woman to give the Zakah of her wealth to her husband if he is poor due to the generality of Allah's Statement:
"Verily, As-Sadaqat (Az-Zakah) is only for the Fugara" (poor) and the Masakin (needy)..."At-Tawbah 9:60.

The ruling on the Masjid Carpets and repairing them with Az-Zakah

Question :

Is it permissible to spend on the Masjid to repair it and its carpets and similar things from Az-Zakah. This is due to the fact that the Masjid does not have any revenue to maintain it and its people are poor.

Answer:

It is known that the affairs of the Masjids are related to the Ministry of Hajj and Endowments. Therefore it is responsible for repairing the Masjids and their carpets and taking care of whatever they need. If the Ministry is unable to carry out all of the requests of the Masjids and it begins with giving attention to the most important things first, and therefore, the Ministry is late in repairing the Masjid, and its people do not want to wait, then they have to repair with their own money. In reference to Az-Zakah, it is specifically for eight categories (of people) that Allâh specified in His Statement:
"As-Sadaqaat (Az-Zakah) is only for the Fuqura" (poor), the Masakin (needy), those employed to collect it (the funds), to attract the hearts of those who are inclined (towards Islam), to free the captives, for those in debt, in the way of Allah (i.e. for those who fight Jihad), and for the traveller."

From this it becomes clear that the Masjids are not from the eight categories mentioned in the Verse, and therefore it is restricted from having Az-Zakah spent on it. And success is with Allah. May Allâh send blessings and peace upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family and his Companions.

Paying Az-Zakah to people who have committed crimes and those who are in Debt

Question :

Is it permissible to pay Az-Zakah to those who have committed crimes and must pay blood money and those who are in debt when one of them asks for assistance or not?

Answer:

Allah, Blessed is He the Most High, explains who are those who are eligible to receive Az-Zakah in His Statement:
"As-Sadaqat (Az-Zakah) is only for the Fugara (poor), the Masakin (needy), those employed to collect it (the funds), to attract the hearts of those who are inclined (towards Islam), to free the captives, for those in debt, in the way of Allah (i.e. for those who fight Jihad), and for the traveller."

Allâh mentioned among them those who are in debt and they are of two types. One of them is the one who goes into debt for the sake of rectifying matters between people. This is the person who arbitrates for a treaty in a situation where there occurs some dispute between a large group of people, like two tribes or the people of two villages, concerning blood (i.e., murder) and wealth, and it results in hatred and enmity. Therefore, this person takes under his responsibility the payment of some wealth as a compensation for whatever is between them to extinguish the uprising. Hence, he is paid from Az-Zakah that which will fulfill the burden he has undertaken, even if he is wealthy, as long as he does not pay it from his own wealth. If he pays this debt from his own wealth, it is not permissible to pay Az-Zakah to him. The second person is the person who goes into debt to purchase himself (i.e., his freedom) from the disbelievers or purchase some permissible item or purchase some forbidden item if he has repented afterwards. If he is poor he should be given from Az-Zakah to repay his debt.

The ruling of giving Az-Zakah to a single Family

Question :

If a man pays the Zakah of his wealth and it is only a little bit, like 200 riyals for example, is it better for it to be given to one needy family or should it be divided among a number of needy families? Please benefit me with an answer, and may Allâh reward you with good..

Answer:

If the Zakah is a small amount, then giving it to a single needy family is better and more preferred. This is because distributing it among numerous families, with its small amount, will decrease its benefit.

The Mother is not given from Az-Zakah and the Person who abandons the Prayer does not deserve Az-Zakah

Question :

Is it permissible for me to give my mother a sum of money and consider it from Az-Zakah? This is while knowing that my father spends on her and he is well off, and all praise is due to Allâh. Likewise, I have a brother who is able to work and he has not gotten married yet. However - may Allah guide him - he is not praying (As-Salah) much. Is it permissible for me to give him anything of Az-Zakah?Please benefit me with an answer, and may Allâh protect you.

Answer:

It is not permissible for you to give your mother anything from Az-Zakah, because Az-Zakah is not to be given to the parents. This is also because she does not need it due to your father spending on her.

In reference to your brother, it is not permissible to give Az- Zakah to him as long as he is abandoning the prayer. This is because the prayer is the greatest pillar of Islam after the two Testimonies of Faith and because abandoning it intentionally is a form of major disbelief. Also, because he is strong and able to earn, he should not be given Az-Zakah. Whenever there is a need to spend on him, his father should do that, because he is responsible for him in matters of spending, as long as he is able to do so. May Allâh guide him (the brother), direct him to the truth and give him refuge from the evil of his self, his devil (that is with him) and evil companions.

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