Is it permissible to give Zakat al-Mal (obligatory charity on wealth) to a sister who is ill with diabetes, unmarried, and unemployed, or to a brother who is unemployed and in debt from an interest-based loan that he cannot repay?

It is permissible to give zakat to a sister if she is poor or needy and has no one obligated to support her, or if the one obligated to support her is unable to do so. It is also permissible to give zakat to a brother to pay off his debt, while reminding him to repent from borrowing with usury. Giving zakat to deserving relatives is more meritorious than giving it to others, for it is both charity and kinship, and it is better to give it to the one in greater need.