Is it permissible to give zakah to the Ahl al-Bayt if they are poor?

Question : He asks: Is zakah permissible for the Ahl al-Bayt, who are among the poor, the needy, and those in need, given that they do not take from the public treasury? They do not take the khums from the public treasury. What? Given that they do not take the khums from the public treasury.

Answer : The Ahl al-Bayt are the relatives of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) who share the fourth degree of common ancestry with him. Zakah is not permissible for them, because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to his uncle al-Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib: However, voluntary charity is lawful for them, because the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) statement that “it is the filth of people” indicates that the charity forbidden to the Ahl al-Bayt is the obligatory charity about which Allah said: Thus, the obligatory charity, which is zakah, is the filth of people. But voluntary charity is not the filth of people and is lawful for the Ahl al-Bayt. If they do not find anyone to give them voluntary charity and are compelled to take zakah, they may take it, based on the generality of the statement: Which is more humiliating for the Ahl al-Bayt: to take what is given to them from zakah, or to go begging from people, saying “give us”? Which is more humiliating? Do you understand? The second or the first? Which is more humiliating: to take from zakah without begging people, or to go to people and beg from them? The second is more humiliating. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) wanted the Ahl al-Bayt to be noble. I have no doubt that it is permissible for the Ahl al-Bayt, if they do not have what suffices them, to take from zakah, for that is better than them humbling themselves before people by asking for help. Furthermore, we have a very clear verse from the Noble Qur’an: As for the Ahl al-Bayt taking zakah from one another, such as one of them being rich and another poor, and the poor one taking the zakah of the rich one, scholars have differed on this. Some said that the zakah of the Ahl al-Bayt is lawful for the Ahl al-Bayt, because they are equal in honor, and because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said regarding zakah that “it is the filth of people,” meaning people who are not from the Ahl al-Bayt. Accordingly, it is permissible for a Hashimi to give his zakah to a poor Hashimi. This is also the choice of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him), who said that there is no humiliation for the Ahl al-Bayt in this case. But in this second case, where a Hashimi gives his zakah to a Hashimi who is eligible for zakah, I have some concern in my heart and feel uneasy about it. However, I have no doubt about the first issue, which is that it is permissible for the Ahl al-Bayt to take from charities that are not zakah. Second, that they may take from zakah if they are compelled to do so. This does not diminish their honor; rather, they remain in their honor and nobility because they are from the Ahl of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him).