❀ Giving Zakat to Relatives is Superior ❀
Written by: Imran Ayub Lahori
❖ Giving Zakat to Relatives is Superior
It is narrated from Hazrat Salman bin ‘Amir (رضي الله عنه) that the Prophet ﷺ said:
الصدقة على المسكين صدقة وهى على ذى الرحم ثنتان: صدقه وصلة
“Giving charity to a poor person is (merely) charity, but giving charity to a relative includes two deeds: charity and maintaining the ties of kinship.”
[Ṣaḥīḥ: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Mājah: 1494, al-Mishkāt: 1939, al-Tirmidhī: 658, Kitāb al-Zakāh: Chapter on Giving Charity to Relatives, Ibn Mājah: 1844, al-Nasā’ī: 2582, Aḥmad: 17/4, al-Dārimī: 1/397]
According to ‘Abd al-Raḥmān Mubārakpūrī رحمه الله, the meaning of this Hadith is that giving charity to relatives is more virtuous.
[Tuḥfat al-Aḥwadhī: 3/368]
✔ Clarification:
The term “Ṣadaqah” (charity) in Arabic is used in a general sense. It can refer to:
- Voluntary charity (Nafl Ṣadaqah)
- Obligatory charity (Zakat)
- Ṣadaqat al-Fiṭr (Charity of breaking the fast)
Thus, this Hadith encompasses all these categories, and giving them to eligible relatives is more rewarding due to the dual benefit of fulfilling a financial obligation and strengthening family ties.
