I have a sister who has five children who have reached puberty, and their father passed away thirteen years ago. She and her children have been under the guardianship of my elder brother and me, and

The questioner : My question is: I have a sister who has five children who have reached puberty, and their father passed away thirteen years ago. Since their father’s passing, they have remained under the guardianship of my elder brother and me for all their livelihood needs. A year ago, some people of good will volunteered a sum of money to purchase a residence for her and her children. However, due to waiting for more money to complete the amount we had previously received, a lunar year has passed over this money. The question remains: Is zakah obligatory on this money, even though we do not take anything from it? Their expenses and the like are covered so that the amount does not decrease from what it was intended for. I would like clarification on this.

The Shaykh : Zakah is obligatory on this money because it is either the money of the donor or the money of the orphans and their mother. Therefore, zakah must be paid on it until it is used to purchase real estate.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.