Home » Shafi'i Fiqh » Darul Iftaa Jordan » Is it Permissible to Give Zakah to one`s Poor Son?

Is it Permissible to Give Zakah to one`s Poor Son?

Answered as per Shafi'i Fiqh by Darul Iftaa Jordan
My income doesn`t provide for my basic needs and those of my dependents for I couldn`t pay the rent of the last five months nor the utility bills. Is it permissible that my father gives me from the Zakah of his money?

Answer:

Praise be to Allah The Lord of the Worlds.

It is permissible for the father to give his poor son, who is able to make a living, from the Zakah of his money if the income of the son  doesn`t cover his basic needs and those of his family. This is because the father isn`t obliged to support the healthy, adult, sane son. It is stated in the book, "Hashiyat al-Baijoori", "The father isn`t obliged to provide for his son who is able to make a living, which suits his social and financial status."{V.2, P.192}.

The Sharia maxim in this regard states, " The father isn`t permitted to pay from the Zakah of his money to those whom he is obliged to provide for."Al-Ramli {May Allah be pleased with him] said, " One who receives enough provisions from an ascendant or a descendant (or husband)…….is neither poor nor needy, and this is according to our, Shafie, most correct opinion. However, it is permissible to give such a person on grounds other than being poor and needy."{Nehayat Al-Mohtaaj ela Shareh al-Menhaaj, V.6: P.154}. Accordingly, it is permissible for the father to give his son from the Zakah of his money  if the son is a debtor. And Allah The Almighty knows best. 

 

This answer was collected from the official government Iftaa Department of Jordan.

Read answers with similar topics: