Is it permissible for me to give from my zakah to my married sons and daughters, knowing that they are poor?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : May the mercy and blessings of Allah be upon you.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : Is it permissible for me to give from my zakah to my married sons and daughters, knowing that they are poor?
The Shaykh : The scholars have stated that a person does not pay zakah
to his descendants or to his father and mother, meaning not to his ancestors or his descendants. This is when the payment of zakah to them is for the purpose of meeting their needs. However, if they have a debt that is not caused by maintenance expenses, it is permissible for a person to pay off the debt of his father, or the debt of his son, or the debt of his mother, or the debt of his daughter from his zakah. This is because a person is not obligated to pay off the debts of these people. So, if he designates his zakah for paying off their debts, that is not a preservation of his wealth.
And we have mentioned, I think, in this gathering or in other gatherings, that if a person pays zakah in a manner that does not preserve his wealth, then as long as the description of the recipient, or as long as the description of the zakah-eligible people, applies to the person to whom it is paid, then that is permissible.
In summary, the answer is: As for this man who has married daughters and their husbands are poor, if he does not have wealth sufficient to provide for them, there is no harm in giving them his zakah. And if he gives it to the husbands, because the husband is responsible for maintenance, then there is no harm in that in any case.
The Shaykh : And upon you be peace, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
The questioner : Is it permissible for me to give from my zakah to my married sons and daughters, knowing that they are poor?
The Shaykh : The scholars have stated that a person does not pay zakah
to his descendants or to his father and mother, meaning not to his ancestors or his descendants. This is when the payment of zakah to them is for the purpose of meeting their needs. However, if they have a debt that is not caused by maintenance expenses, it is permissible for a person to pay off the debt of his father, or the debt of his son, or the debt of his mother, or the debt of his daughter from his zakah. This is because a person is not obligated to pay off the debts of these people. So, if he designates his zakah for paying off their debts, that is not a preservation of his wealth.
And we have mentioned, I think, in this gathering or in other gatherings, that if a person pays zakah in a manner that does not preserve his wealth, then as long as the description of the recipient, or as long as the description of the zakah-eligible people, applies to the person to whom it is paid, then that is permissible.
In summary, the answer is: As for this man who has married daughters and their husbands are poor, if he does not have wealth sufficient to provide for them, there is no harm in giving them his zakah. And if he gives it to the husbands, because the husband is responsible for maintenance, then there is no harm in that in any case.