Donate Zakat: Can Zakat be given to relatives?

Zakat is an important element in Islam and is deemed one of the five pillars. Charitable acts can purify your earnings if your income exceeds what is required to give you the essentials to live. Inevitably, as you think of ways to give Zakat, you might be wondering if it is permitted to help blood relatives or if this is disallowed under the specific terms of Zakat. While the particulars of who you can give Zakat to may seem murky, they can be easy to learn.

Discover all you need to know about how to donate Zakat and if helping family members struggling with money can be a method of giving Zakat.

Giving to relatives

If you want to give a relative money to supplement their needs, this is generally a permitted act of charity under the Zakat conditions. Though parents cannot give their children money and children cannot give to their parents as forms of charity, you can bestow monetary gifts to other relatives who may be living below their needs. Before you give your Zakat, you still need to properly navigate this form of charity before pursuing it by examining three different factors that could determine whether giving money to relatives is an acceptable form of Zakat.

The closeness of the relative

One question you may want to ask yourself before giving your Zakat to a family member is: How close is this family member? Suppose you are particularly distant from this relative and have no legal or moral obligation to help them with their expenses. In that case, it is okay to send your Zakat to them, directly or indirectly. If you are close to a relative, like a husband to their wife, a child to their parents and vice versa, grandchildren to their grandparents, and vice versa, you cannot give your Zakat to those relatives. This is disallowed because giving money to such a close relative is essentially like giving money to yourself under Zakat conditions. According to Zakat resources, relatives eligible to receive your Zakat charity can include cousins, aunts and uncles, siblings, and nieces and nephews.

Who is giving the Zakat?

Another question you need to ask yourself before giving a charitable portion of your money to a family member is who exactly is giving the Zakat? If you are giving your Zakat to a charitable organization that a family member uses to supplement their lack of funds, this is actually permitted. While you cannot give money to your parents or children directly, if you happen to donate to a charity that helps your close family members, this form of Zakat still counts and is undoubtedly permissible.

Financial responsibilities

There are often telltale signs indicating whether you can give your Zakat to a relative. If you live with a relative, they are most likely barred from receiving your Zakat. Similarly related, if a family member is already financially dependent on you, they are also unable to receive Zakat from you when you’re already providing for them.

Husband and wife

Though it may seem that giving your Zakat to your spouse would be disallowed, under some circumstances, it is permitted. To donate Zakat to your spouse is allowed when the wife gives their Zakat to a husband that is struggling financially, though some scholars argue that a wife should not do this if they benefit from this indirectly or directly. Because a husband is responsible for a wife’s financial needs, husbands are not allowed to give their Zakat to them.

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. The others are belief in the oneness of Allah, offering obligatory prayers five times a day, fasting the whole month of Ramadan, and pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah (Mecca). It simply means almsgiving and is an obligation upon Muslims to pay at the end of a year of possession. Zakat is calculated at the rate of 2.5% on the total wealth present at year-end, which includes money, silver, gold, investments, livestock, trading stock, and agricultural produce. It is worth mentioning that Poor people do not pay Zakat. Rather, it is an obligation on the wealthy people and delivered to the poor, needy, and destitute people. Suppose a sane, adult person (male or female) owns wealth equal to the current market value of roughly 600 grams of silver. In that case, they are commanded to donate Zakat.

How to donate Zakat

If any Muslim is eligible to donate Zakat, they must find qualified people. Zakat is not given just to anyone; it is paid to the poor, the indigent, the debt-ridden, the wanderer, the enslaved person seeking freedom from bondage. Some people are aware that they can give Zakat to their local mosque. They must know that one cannot donate Zakat money to any mosque, per se, whether for construction or refurbishment purposes. Any individual does not own mosques, but they are rather dedicated to the worship of Allah. So, it is the unanimous decision of the scholars of Islam that mosques are not entitled to receive any Zakat amounts as such. However, if a mosque collects Zakat money to distribute it, it is permitted. The mosque committee generally manages the payments of Zakat. Here, when you donate Zakat money, it will not be used for the mosque in any manner but will rather be given out to the ones eligible to receive Zakat.

Why Donate to Muslim Charity

The question arises, “Why should a Muslim donate Zakat?” First of all, we must understand that Zakat is a commandment of Allah that must be followed by every Muslim if they are eligible. Secondly, according to the Holy Scriptures, Zakat is a means of purification of the total wealth, i.e. if a person donates his Zakat amount, then the wealth left behind becomes pure wealth, or else impure. Thirdly, donating Zakat money creates an equilibrium in society as the rich give off a small amount of their total wealth to the poor and needy. Thus, donating Zakat helps ease the difficulties of the lives of the financially weak and needy people.

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Charity is an incredibly important aspect of the Islamic faith. As a community, we strive to aid and support one another, understanding that those in need are just as valid as anyone else. Therefore, regardless of our income, making financial contributions to those around us is valued in our society.

But how much should Muslims actually be donating to charity? Let’s take a look!

The Amount That Muslims Should Give To Charity

Understanding Zakat

Zakat is one of the five pillars of individual worship that Islam is built on. Also known as “mandatory giving,” zakat requires all eligible Muslims to donate at least 2.5% of their accumulated wealth each year. However, you can choose to donate more money to an Islamic charity if you would prefer, and those who do not meet the Nisab threshold are not obligated to pay.

This money is then divided up and given to those who have qualified as beneficiaries of the payment. Such people have been outlined in the Quran and include:

The poor
The hungry
Those living with unmanageable debt
Stranded or struggling travellers

This act of donating 2.5% of your wealth to the poor is an incredible way to strengthen the entire community and provide relief to those in need.

Understanding Sadaqah

Sadaqah, meanwhile, is a voluntary charitable donation. This means that there are no rules or guidelines dictating how much– if any– money you should be donating. Additionally, while zakat is once a year, you are permitted to donate as frequently as you would like under sadaqah.

As well, you can choose where your money is directed towards, regardless of whether it fits under a zakat category.

Understanding The Total Sum

Ultimately, it is expected that Muslims should donate a minimum of 2.5% of their wealth every year to charity. However, you are more than welcome to exceed that amount if you so choose; it is entirely up to you and your financial situation.

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Understanding The Mishkat Institute

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