Can I Give Charity on Behalf of My Living Father?

Answered by Shaykh Yusuf Weltch

Question 

My dad has been going through professional and financial setbacks. He, me, and the rest of my family are performing dua to overcome this hurdle. I have been thinking of putting out charity in his name so Allah Most High would grant him wishes and help him in getting over his problems. Is this unacceptable in Islam by any means?

Answer

In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate

It is not only permissible to give charity on behalf of your father, it is a great act of worship, as doing so entails charity and joining family ties.

The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Charity given to the poor is a charity and to a family member is a charity and filial piety.” [Ahmad]

Smarter Not Harder

Since you are giving charity on behalf of your father, you would still get the reward, even if you gave the charity to your father. So your father would receive the benefit of the money and the reward of the charity as well.

Hope this helps
Allah knows best
[Shaykh] Yusuf Weltch
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Yusuf Weltch is a teacher of Arabic, Islamic law, and spirituality. After accepting Islam in 2008, he then completed four years at the Darul Uloom seminary in New York where he studied Arabic and the traditional sciences. He then traveled to Tarim, Yemen, where he stayed for three years studying in Dar Al-Mustafa under some of the greatest scholars of our time, including Habib Umar Bin Hafiz, Habib Kadhim al-Saqqaf, and Shaykh Umar al-Khatib. In Tarim, Shaykh Yusuf completed the memorization of the Qur’an and studied beliefs, legal methodology, hadith methodology, Qur’anic exegesis, Islamic history, and a number of texts on spirituality. He joined the SeekersGuidance faculty in the summer of 2019.