Zakah: Payment to household of the
Prophet
Q734 :May I ask whether Zakah may be paid to those
who belong to the household of the Prophet?
A734 : Not giving zakah to people who belong to the
Prophet's household, this is correct according to a large number of
scholars. However, it must be pointed out that Prophet's household
does not have zakah because they have a share of the spoils of war and
what the Muslim state may gain. One fifth of that is given to them as
well as to orphans, the needy and stranded wayfarers. We note, however,
that this is hardly available these days. According to many scholars,
this should be offset by giving the poor among them a share of zakah.
This view is further strengthened by the fact that many scholars
suggest that members of the Prophet's household were not given any
zakah during the lifetime of the Prophet. After he had passed away,
that prohibition no longer applied. This is indeed a valid view because
it suggests that Allah wanted to spare the Prophet and his household
any criticism from any quarter which might have accused the Prophet of
nepotism. After he has passed away, this no longer applies.
Our Dialogue ( Source : Arab News - Jeddah )