The ruling on giving a brother’s zakah to his poor children

Question : But if this brother has children, and his brother gives him from his zakah to make him self-sufficient, is that permissible or not?

Answer : This is permissible; it is permissible to give them from the zakah. Because in this case, you do not inherit from him. If your poor brother died, leaving you and his children, who would inherit from him? His children. Therefore, his maintenance is not obligatory upon you, so it is permissible to give him and his children from the zakah. However, with this, we say that the better course is to maintain ties of kinship with his brother and his brother’s children through acts of kindness, and to give the zakah to other poor people. This is the better course, because maintaining family ties carries great virtue.