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Does a person in hardship have a right to the wealth of a person of means, and is one held accountable for not helping their neighbor in hardship?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

The poor have rights in the wealth of the rich, the foremost of which is the obligatory Zakat. In the Hadith of Ibn Abbas: "Allah has enjoined upon them a charity in their wealth, to be taken from their rich and given to their poor." Other rights besides Zakat may also become obligatory in cases of extreme need for the poor. In such instances, the rich must provide assistance from their wealth, such as ransoming captives, feeding the hungry, and clothing the naked. This may even become a specific obligation upon a particular rich person if no one else fulfills it, and this falls under communal obligations (Fard Kifayah). Ibn Taymiyyah said: "There is no right in wealth that becomes obligatory due to the wealth itself other than Zakat; otherwise, there are obligations within it that are not due to the wealth itself." This right is further emphasized if the poor person is a neighbor, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "He is not a believer who eats his fill while his neighbor next to him is hungry." Whoever neglects an obligatory right will be held accountable for it. As for the recommended rights, they are numerous, and whoever takes the initiative in them will be rewarded.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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