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The question

Who is more deserving of aid in light of limited resources and the multitude of needy due to war: relatives or those in direst need? And is it better to fully support a limited number of people, or to expand the scope of aid without ensuring sufficiency for anyone? What are the Sharia rulings in this regard?

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Source: FtawySummarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported Sep 2, 20261 min readAlso available in العربية
The answer

The one most in need is given priority in assistance and charity, then the next most in need, and so on. If they are equal in need, then the closest in relation is given priority.

As for voluntary charity (Sadaqat al-Tatawwu'), it is a (recommended practice), and it is recommended to give in charity what exceeds one's permanent sufficiency, without limit or specific time.

In such a case, the priority is to secure the sufficiency of a number of targeted poor or needy individuals by giving them what fulfills their needs for a certain period. This is better than distributing money among a large number of them such that none of them receives what is sufficient for them. However, the matter remains open to (independent reasoning) and consideration of what best serves the interest.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · imported

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Where this answer came from
Source platform
Ftawy
Original fatwa ID
156302
Imported
Translation status
Source text, unreviewed
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