Is it permissible to give an elder brother from Zakat funds to help him start a small business, knowing that his income is insufficient, he has student children, his wife has passed away, he is unable to work due to poor health, and he does not own a home or a car?

This answer clarifies the definition of a poor person eligible to receive zakat, and permits giving zakat to a poor brother if he meets the aforementioned criteria of poverty. It emphasizes that a poor brother is more deserving of zakat than others, based on the Prophet's (peace be upon him) saying: "Charity given to a relative is two-fold: charity and maintaining kinship ties." In this case, it is a condition that the zakat money be transferred to the poor person to be spent on his needs.