Is it permissible to give zakat to an unemployed father who has no income but is supported by others, and to a grandmother who does not live with the zakat-payer and has no income?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to give to parents or grandparents if they are poor, because their financial support is obligatory upon the zakat payer. Giving them zakat would relieve him of this obligation, and the benefit would return to him, making it as if he paid zakat to himself. However, it is permissible for the zakat payer to give zakat to his indebted father, because a debtor is one of the categories eligible for zakat, and he is not legally obligated to pay off his debt.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/111309
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 111309
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy