Using Zakah money to support needy parents, etc.

27-3-2004 | IslamWeb

Question:

Can the Zakah money be given to my family (mother, father, and sister) who do not have any kind of income and my father cannot find a job? I am their only source of income. They live in a Muslim country in the Middle East. I also send money for medical expenses for my grandmother who is very sick and the rest of her children cannot afford all the medical expenses. Can this also be included in the Zakah money?

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Answer:

Praise be to Allah, the Lord of the Worlds; and may His blessings and peace be upon our Prophet Muhammad and upon all his Family and Companions.

 

It is unlawful for you to give the Zakah on your property to anyone whose expenditure is obligatory upon you.

So, it is unlawful for you to give your Zakah to your father, mother or grandmother.  As for your sister, it is lawful for you to give her from your Zakah if she is married and her husband is poor or needy.  However, if you are the one responsible for spending on your sister then it is unlawful for you to give her Zakah.

 

Allah knows best.