Is brother eligible to receive zakah.
Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,
As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
(May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked
this question:
salaam.
I have brother in
Also, Since he will struggle financially after my parents are no longer alive,
my parents have bought a 2nd house ( worth INR 30,00,000) in
I have myself bought property in
My query is-
1- is my brother
eligible to receive zakat money from me even though
a- the parental house he stays in and will continue to stay in is worth INR
40,00,000.
b- he has 1 more house in his name ( bought by my parents) providing rental
income of INR 12000/ month
IF he is eligible to receive the zakat money, can I consider
1- INR 15,000/ month as going towards my zakat dues
2- INR 20,00,000 ( in future I plan to give my share of inherited parental
property to him)
the above arrangement has been made to provide him with financial stability
Also can I give zakat money to MUnicipal hospital in
(There may be some grammatical and spelling
errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from
questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in
confidentiality.)
Answer:
Is brother eligible
to receive zakah
In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His
help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide,
and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear
witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear
witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His
Messengers.
Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah
Taubah verse 60:
60 Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to
administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled
(to the Truth), for those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and
for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of Knowledge
and Wisdom.
Allah Subhanah has prescribed that ‘zakah’ should be paid
to any of the above eight listed categories:
- To
the poor
- To
the needy
- To
those who are employed to administer the zakah funds
- To
those whose hearts have recently been reconciled to the Truth of Islam
(new-muslims)
- For
those in bondage
- For
those in debt
- In
the Cause of Allah
- To
the way-farer or traveler
Allah Subhanah has Commanded and Guided the believers that
‘Zakah’ must be distributed to any of the above eight categories only; for all
other categories, one may help them through voluntary and supererogatory
charity or ‘sadaqah’ but not through ‘Zakah’ funds.
Your
Question: ….is my brother eligible to receive zakat money from me even though…
The only people one is prohibited in Shariah to give
‘zakah’ to, even if they fall amongst the above listed eight eligible
categories are those individuals whose financial upkeep is ones obligatory
responsibility and duty in Shariah: like one’s parents, one’s wife and one’s
children.
One is not legally responsible for the financial upkeep of
one’s adult brother in Shariah, thus it is permissible for one to spend of
one’s ‘zakah’ dues on one’s brother, if indeed the state of the brother happens
to fall under one of the above listed eight categories of eligibility.
If your brother happens to live with his parents, owns a
home which was gifted to him by his parents worth INR 3million, is expected to
receive inheritance of at least another INR 2million, plus has a monthly rental
income of INR 12,000.00….truth is brother, it would be hard to justify or
include him amongst the ‘poor’ or ‘needy’ of the believing society!
You are well within your rights to financially help your
brother, and gift him your share of the inheritance property, and gift him the
monthly rental which you derive from your own property, etc.…..but it would be
best if you did so from your ‘non-zakah’ dues or ‘sadaqah’ or voluntary
charity.
The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: "Charity
for the poor is rewarded as one good deed; but in the case of a relative it is
considered as two: [one reward for helping] blood ties, and [the other reward
for] the charity [itself]."
Related by Ahmad, an-Nasa'i, and at-Tirmidhi.
Your
Question: Also can I give zakat money to MUnicipal hospital in
Sahih Al-Bukhari Hadith 9.469 (part) Narrated by Ibn Abbas
When the Prophet sent Hadrat Muadh (r.a.) to
‘Zakah’ is
collected only from the Muslims and distributed amongst the poor Muslims
alone. The scholars and jurists in Islam
are unanimous in their opinion that one cannot spend from their ‘zakah’ dues
unto the disbelievers; but one is at absolute liberty to help their disbelieving
brethren from their supererogatory charity and alms, or ‘sadaqah’.
Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only
due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me
alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is
the Only Source of Strength.
Your brother and
well wisher in Islam,
Burhan