Ruling on Giving a Poor Person What He Needs to Establish a Business
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A wealthy man has a poor brother. Is it permissible for him to give him from the zakah what he needs to start a business, such as a sewing machine, or should he only give him from the zakah what he needs for food?
In reality, this question should not be limited to the brother. It is a general question: Is it permissible for a person to give a poor person from the zakah what he needs for food, or to give him what he needs to start a business?Answer: The first category is what he needs for food, because there are many poor people in the world who need food. So, if he singles out this brother with a large amount of money to start a sewing business or some other business,Its meaning is: that implies neglecting the others. Zakah is not for so-and-so and so-and-so, but for the general public. Yes, if it were assumed that this poor person’s machine broke down and he gave him what he needed to repair it, there is no harm; because repairing it is a necessity. But buying him a machine is not allowed. Similarly, if you gave a poor person a large amount of money to buy a house, it is not permissible to give him that from the zakah, because he can be content with renting a house.But if his house collapsed and he wanted to rebuild it, we would say: There is no harm in giving him from the zakah; because this thing exists and needs repair.
A wealthy man has a poor brother. Is it permissible for him to give him from the zakah what he needs to start a business, such as a sewing machine, or should he only give him from the zakah what he needs for food?
In reality, this question should not be limited to the brother. It is a general question: Is it permissible for a person to give a poor person from the zakah what he needs for food, or to give him what he needs to start a business?Answer: The first category is what he needs for food, because there are many poor people in the world who need food. So, if he singles out this brother with a large amount of money to start a sewing business or some other business,Its meaning is: that implies neglecting the others. Zakah is not for so-and-so and so-and-so, but for the general public. Yes, if it were assumed that this poor person’s machine broke down and he gave him what he needed to repair it, there is no harm; because repairing it is a necessity. But buying him a machine is not allowed. Similarly, if you gave a poor person a large amount of money to buy a house, it is not permissible to give him that from the zakah, because he can be content with renting a house.But if his house collapsed and he wanted to rebuild it, we would say: There is no harm in giving him from the zakah; because this thing exists and needs repair.