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Is it permissible to give zakat to one's father's wife (the mother of needy siblings) for her to spend on them, given the possibility of her squandering the money?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

Paying Zakat to brothers and sisters is a desirable and rewarding act, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: "Charity given to a poor person is charity, and charity given to a relative is two-fold: charity and strengthening ties of kinship." It is important to ensure that this Zakat is spent in a way that benefits them. This can be done by advising them to avoid extravagance, by overseeing the expenditure of the Zakat yourself on matters that benefit them, or by giving it to their mother if it is highly likely that she will spend it on what benefits them.

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

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