Ruling on Giving Zakah to Poor Relatives
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Question:
Your Eminence, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Baz (may Allah preserve him).
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
I hope you will graciously answer my question:
The issue is that I have wealth whose zakah I pay to needy relatives, namely my maternal grandmother (my mother's mother) and my paternal grandmother (my grandfather's wife, who is not my father's mother). I know that they have a provider other than me. I have also heard a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the meaning of which is. How authentic is this hadith, and what is the ruling on the years for which I have already paid it, considering that I do not know the exact number? I ask Allah to prolong your life and make your knowledge beneficial to the Muslims. Peace be upon you, and Allah's mercy and blessings.
Answer:
And upon you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
The hadith mentioned is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said to Abu Talhah al-Ansari, when he wanted to give in charity some of his date palms named Bayrha', the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:Sahih al-Bukhari 4554 It is agreed upon as authentic.
This applies to voluntary charity. As for zakah, there is a detailed ruling: If the relatives are not from the descendants or the ancestors, it is permissible to distribute zakah to them, such as brothers, maternal uncles, paternal uncles, and the like, if they are poor. In that case, it serves as both charity and maintaining family ties. Likewise, the grandfather's wife, if she is not your grandmother and is poor with no provider to meet her needs. You must make up what you spent on your maternal grandmother (your mother's mother) and your grandfather's wife, if she was self-sufficient through the maintenance of someone other than you.
May Allah guide everyone, and peace be upon you, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.
Your Eminence, Shaykh 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn 'Abd Allah ibn Baz (may Allah preserve him).
Peace be upon you, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
I hope you will graciously answer my question:
The issue is that I have wealth whose zakah I pay to needy relatives, namely my maternal grandmother (my mother's mother) and my paternal grandmother (my grandfather's wife, who is not my father's mother). I know that they have a provider other than me. I have also heard a hadith from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), the meaning of which is
Make it for the closest relatives
اجعلوها في الأقربينAnswer:
And upon you be peace, and Allah’s mercy and blessings, and after that:
The hadith mentioned is authentic from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He said to Abu Talhah al-Ansari, when he wanted to give in charity some of his date palms named Bayrha', the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said to him:
I think that you should distribute that (garden) amongst your relatives
أرى أن تجعلها في الأقربينThis applies to voluntary charity. As for zakah, there is a detailed ruling: If the relatives are not from the descendants or the ancestors, it is permissible to distribute zakah to them, such as brothers, maternal uncles, paternal uncles, and the like, if they are poor. In that case, it serves as both charity and maintaining family ties. Likewise, the grandfather's wife, if she is not your grandmother and is poor with no provider to meet her needs. You must make up what you spent on your maternal grandmother (your mother's mother) and your grandfather's wife, if she was self-sufficient through the maintenance of someone other than you.
May Allah guide everyone, and peace be upon you, the mercy of Allah, and His blessings.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.