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 work with in a lawful trade?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah.
His EminenceThe Shaykh : A wealthy man has a poor brother. Is it permissible for him to give him from the zakah what he needs to work with in a lawful trade, such as a sewing machine, or should he only give him from the zakah what he needs for food?
The Shaykh : In reality, this is a question that should not be limited to a brother; it is general. 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 work with in a lawful trade?
Answer: First, give him what he needs for food, because there are many poor people in the world who need food. So, if he singles out this person with a large amount of money in order to establish a sewing business or some other business, that means he is depriving the others. And zakah is not for so-and-so or so-and-so, but it is for the general public. Yes, if it were assumed that this poor person’s machine broke down and he gave him what he needs to repair it, there is no harm, because it has now become a necessity. As for ... no. The analogy of this is if you gave a poor person a large amount of money to buy a house; this is not permissible to give him 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.
His EminenceThe Shaykh : A wealthy man has a poor brother. Is it permissible for him to give him from the zakah what he needs to work with in a lawful trade, such as a sewing machine, or should he only give him from the zakah what he needs for food?
The Shaykh : In reality, this is a question that should not be limited to a brother; it is general. 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 work with in a lawful trade?
Answer: First, give him what he needs for food, because there are many poor people in the world who need food. So, if he singles out this person with a large amount of money in order to establish a sewing business or some other business, that means he is depriving the others. And zakah is not for so-and-so or so-and-so, but it is for the general public. Yes, if it were assumed that this poor person’s machine broke down and he gave him what he needs to repair it, there is no harm, because it has now become a necessity. As for ... no. The analogy of this is if you gave a poor person a large amount of money to buy a house; this is not permissible to give him 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.