Ruling on Giving Zakah to Relatives

Question:
Is it permissible to give zakah to relatives if they are poor, specifically: the father, the mother, the brother, and the sister?

Answer:
It is permissible to give zakah to poor relatives as charity and as maintaining family ties. When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked about this, he said: There is no harm in giving to one’s brother, uncle, or maternal uncle if he is poor, from his zakah or voluntary charity; it is both charity and maintaining family ties. However, if the poor person is among his fathers, grandfathers, or mothers, he should not give them from his zakah, because he is obligated to provide for them. Likewise, if they are among his descendants, he should not give them from his zakah, but rather provide for them, because a child has a stronger right to his father’s provision than anyone else, and the same applies to the mother if she is unable to provide for herself and he is able to.
The point is: children—descendants—should not be given from zakah; rather, their father and mother should provide for them from their own wealth if they are poor. The same applies to fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers; they should not be given from zakah, but rather from other than zakah. Yes.

The presenter: He says, O Shaykh: Is it true that zakah is not given to the one who inherits from you?

The Shaykh: No, it is not obligatory [to avoid it]. If it is... if it is his brother, he may give him from his zakah if he is poor, according to the stronger of the two views, there is no harm. The prohibition is only regarding ancestors and descendants. Ancestors are fathers, mothers, grandfathers, and grandmothers. Descendants are children, children of children, and children of daughters. Yes.