Can one pay zakat to father?
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:
Asalamo alaikum,
I am regular
reader of your q&a. Its very informative and easy way to keep abreast with
the teachings of Islam. I need to know more about the zakat and following are
my questions if you could answer asap since i intend to pay out zakat within
ramadan:
1) Can i pay zakat
to return the loan of my father who has hafty amounts as loan to his credit as
he is unable to pay by himself? I know that zakat can not be paid to one's own
family but this is a specific issue since my father is lent a lot of money and
people are bothering us? Please advise as this could partially resolve my
father's burden.
I am anxiously
waiting for your reply.
Regards,
Your brother in
islam.
(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:
Can one pay zakat to father?
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 no one (no idol, no person, no grave, no prophet, no imam,
no dai, nobody!) worthy of
worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad(saws) is His
slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.
It is not permissible in Islam
for a child to give from the zakat dues to the people who are already under his
sponsorship, which includes his
parents, grand-parents,
great-grand-parents (and upwards), his
children, and his wife. These immediate family members are his prime
responsibility in the first place, and
he is obligated to spend on them from his funds other than zakat.
But it is permissible, if one so wills, to help his needy
brother, sister, cousins,
aunts, uncles, etc. from the zakat funds.
Narrated Ibn 'Abbas
that a woman of the Juhainah tribe came to the Prophet (saws) and said, 'My
mother had vowed to perform pilgrimage, but she died before she could fulfill
her vow. Should I do it on her behalf?'
The Prophet (saws) said, 'Yes. Perform Hajj on her behalf. Would you not pay the debt of your
mother if she had owed someone?
Fulfill it. Allah is more
deserving of receiving payment for what is due to Him'."
Related by
Al-Bukhari
It is considered the duty of the
son to pay the debts of his parents,
and he has to pay them from his own funds. It is not permissible in Islam to give anything from the zakat
dues to one’s parents.
Whatever written of Truth and
benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error
is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He
is the Only Source of Strength.
Your Brother in
Islam,
