Can I Pay My Zakat to My Father?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: As salam alaykum,

I am one of the two partners of a joint business. Usually we calculate the Zakat amount of the business and split it in to two in which I take half and give it to people I know and the other half is given to my partners people.

Can I give my half of this Zakat to my father as he is eligible to recieve Zakat? Or can I get my partner’s half and give it to my father, and exchange my half with my partner?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

I pray that this message finds you well, insha’Allah.

It is impermissible to give your zakat funds to your father because benefits between parents and children are normally shared, and the lack of such a benefit is sought when giving your zakat. [Ibn `Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar `ala al-Durr al-Mukhtar]

However, if the partner is not a child of your father, he can give his zakat to him, and perhaps, in turn, you could give your zakat to his needy relatives, or in the avenue he wanted to give.

Please also see: Zakat: How to Calculate & Whom to Give and: Is Your Zakat Due? – A Reader and Resources on Giving Zakat

And Allah alone knows best.

wassalam,

Tabraze Azam

Checked & Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani