Who are those to whom it is not permissible to give zakah? And is it permissible to give zakah to one whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon you?
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The questioner : Regarding zakah, for one who has a son, or a mother, or a sister.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon him.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. Repeat the question.
The questioner : A person has a son, or a mother, or something, and wants to give zakah. I said: As for one whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon you, it is not valid to give zakah to them.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So who is it whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon a person?
The Shaykh : For anyone whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon you, it is not permissible to pay your zakah to them for the purpose of maintenance. However, if it is for paying off a debt, there is no harm.
So if we assume that the father has a debt, and you want to pay off his debt from your zakah, and he is unable to pay it off himself, there is no harm. Likewise for the mother, and likewise for the son.
But if you are giving it to them from your zakah for the purpose of maintenance, this is not permissible, because by doing so you are preserving your wealth.
And financial maintenance is obligatory for the parents, the mother and the father, and for the children, the son and the daughter, and for everyone you would inherit from if they died. That is, everyone you would inherit from if they died, you are obligated to maintain, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:233] So Allah obligated the heir to pay the cost of breastfeeding, because breastfeeding is in the position of financial maintenance. Yes.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon him.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes. Repeat the question.
The questioner : A person has a son, or a mother, or something, and wants to give zakah. I said: As for one whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon you, it is not valid to give zakah to them.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So who is it whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon a person?
The Shaykh : For anyone whose financial maintenance is obligatory upon you, it is not permissible to pay your zakah to them for the purpose of maintenance. However, if it is for paying off a debt, there is no harm.
So if we assume that the father has a debt, and you want to pay off his debt from your zakah, and he is unable to pay it off himself, there is no harm. Likewise for the mother, and likewise for the son.
But if you are giving it to them from your zakah for the purpose of maintenance, this is not permissible, because by doing so you are preserving your wealth.
And financial maintenance is obligatory for the parents, the mother and the father, and for the children, the son and the daughter, and for everyone you would inherit from if they died. That is, everyone you would inherit from if they died, you are obligated to maintain, due to the saying of Allah the Exalted: