She asks: Is zakah permissible for my relatives, such as my mother and my brothers, if I have reached the nisab?
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The questioner : She asks: Is zakah permissible for my relatives, such as my mother and my brothers, if I have reached the nisab?
The Shaykh : It is permissible to distribute zakah to a relative, and distributing it to a relative who is among those entitled to it is better than distributing it to a distant person, because as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said. However, if a person gives his zakah to a relative in order to protect his wealth, that is not permissible. For example, if this relative is one for whom he is obligated to provide maintenance because he is wealthy and the relative is poor, then it is not permissible for him to give him from his zakah. Rather, it is obligatory for him to spend on him from his wealth, other than zakah. There is no difference in this between the parents and others. For example, if the questioner... yes, so we say in answer to the questioner.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If she has a poor mother who is among those entitled to zakah, and her wealth, meaning the daughter's wealth, is not sufficient to provide for her mother because it is small, but it reaches the nisab, then it is permissible for her to give her zakah to her mother in this case. This is because her mother is not obligated to be provided for by her in this case, meaning the daughter is not obligated to provide for her mother in this case because she is unable to do so. Therefore, it is permissible for her to give her from her zakah.
Likewise, if her mother has a debt that she is unable to pay off, then she may pay off her mother's debt from her zakah.
And the rule, as you pointed out, is that it is permissible for a person to give his zakah to his relatives, and giving it to relatives who are entitled to zakah is better than giving it to someone who is not a relative. But this is on the condition that he does not use it to protect his wealth. If he uses it to protect his wealth such that he is obligated to provide maintenance for this relative, and he gives him from the zakah in order to protect his wealth from having to spend on him, then this is not permissible, because the obligatory maintenance is not waived by zakah. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is permissible to distribute zakah to a relative, and distributing it to a relative who is among those entitled to it is better than distributing it to a distant person, because
Charity to a relative is charity and maintaining family ties.
الصدقة على القريب صدقة وصلةThe questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : If she has a poor mother who is among those entitled to zakah, and her wealth, meaning the daughter's wealth, is not sufficient to provide for her mother because it is small, but it reaches the nisab, then it is permissible for her to give her zakah to her mother in this case. This is because her mother is not obligated to be provided for by her in this case, meaning the daughter is not obligated to provide for her mother in this case because she is unable to do so. Therefore, it is permissible for her to give her from her zakah.
Likewise, if her mother has a debt that she is unable to pay off, then she may pay off her mother's debt from her zakah.
And the rule, as you pointed out, is that it is permissible for a person to give his zakah to his relatives, and giving it to relatives who are entitled to zakah is better than giving it to someone who is not a relative. But this is on the condition that he does not use it to protect his wealth. If he uses it to protect his wealth such that he is obligated to provide maintenance for this relative, and he gives him from the zakah in order to protect his wealth from having to spend on him, then this is not permissible, because the obligatory maintenance is not waived by zakah. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.