Zakah: Payment to
grandchildren
Q732 :My son-in-law has died, leaving behind a few
children with no income whatsoever. Can I give my zakah to those
children, considering that they are the responsibility of their
father's relatives, while I should take care of my daughter - i.e.
their mother? May I also ask until what age is a child considered an
orphan?
A732 : What you have said is true about your
grandchildren having a claim against their own relatives, such as the
father and the brothers of their late father. You daughter, i.e. their
mother, is the one who has a claim to your help. It is a rule that a
person may not pay zakah to a relative who has a rightful claim to his
help. Hence, it is not permissible that a father pays his zakah to his
poor son or daughter, or a man pays his zakah to his poor father. Other
relatives may be helped with zakah. Therefore, you can certainly help
in the upkeep of your grandchildren, but not their mother, with your
zakah money. A child is considered an orphan until he has attained
puberty. However, after an orphan comes of age, and he is no longer an
orphan, he may still need to be helped, particularly if he is still
pursuing his education, or if he does not have a job or any means of
income. In this case, he will be in the same position as any person who
deserves to be helped with zakah money.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )