Is it permissible to give zakat on money to a struggling brother whose income is insufficient to cover his expenses and accumulated debts from credit cards?
It is permissible to give zakat to relatives for whom the giver is not obliged to provide, such as a brother, sister, nephew, niece, paternal uncle, or maternal uncle, if they are eligible recipients of zakat, such as being poor or indebted for permissible reasons. Giving to them is prioritized due to the hadith: "Charity given to the poor is a single charity, while charity given to a relative is two: maintaining kinship ties and charity." It is recommended to give zakat to eligible relatives. If the brother mentioned has insufficient income for his expenses or has a permissible debt, it is permissible to give him from zakat. It is advised to repent from using prohibited credit cards.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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