Mufti Online — Madrasah Ta'leemuddeen

Giving zakaat to a poor child

· 26 Rabiʻ I 1437 AH1 min readEnglish

Question

Can zakaat be given to a child to cover her education expenses?

Answer

The fundamental requirement in the discharging of zakaat is the aspect of tamleek. Tamleek means to transfer ownership of the wealth to someone who is eligible for zakaat. Hence, if the wealth is not given to a recipient of zakaat, the zakaat will not be discharged. As far as giving zakaat to a poor child is concerned, then if the child’s father is wealthy then the zakaat will not be discharged by giving it to him/her. However, if the child’s father is poor or the child is a poor orphan then through giving him/her the zakaat money, the zakaat will be discharged on condition that the child has reached the age of understanding.

And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.

References (Arabic / Urdu sources)

ويشترط أن يكون الصرف ( تمليكا ) لا إباحة كما مر ( لا ) يصرف ( إلى بناء ) نحو ( مسجد)

قال الشامي : قوله ( تمليكا ) فلا يكفي فيها الإطعام إلا بطريق التمليك ولو أطعمه عنده ناويا الزكاة لا تكفي ط وفي التمليك إشارة إلى أنه لا يصرف إلى مجنون وصبي غير مراهق إلا إذا قبض لهما من يجوز له قبضه كالأب والوصي وغيرهما ويصرف إلى مراهق يعقل الأخذ كما في المحيط قهستاني (رد المحتار 2/ 344)

Answered by
Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & approved by
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)
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Source: Mufti Online — Madrasah Ta'leemuddeen — https://muftionline.co.za/node/13540
Fatawa SA: https://fatawa.co.za/fatwa/muftionline-13540

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