⁉️ Can Zakat be spent on your relatives and family?

📖 Allah ﷻ mentions the categories of Zakat in Surah At-Tawbah | verse 60:
1️⃣ The poor
2️⃣ The needy
3️⃣ Those employed to collect Zakat
4️⃣ For winning the hearts of those (inclined towards accepting Islam)
5️⃣ For freeing slaves
6️⃣ To help in clearing debts
7️⃣ For Allah’s cause
8️⃣ For the traveller

❎ Zakat cannot be spent on the people who are financially dependent on you and whose responsibility has been given to you by Sharee’ah.

✌🏻This responsibility is of 2 kinds:

1️⃣ A person is financially responsible for his parents, his children and close family members.

💸 To spend on (and to take care of) your family has been compared to Jihad and has great rewards (Ajr).

📚 The Prophet of Allah ﷺ said: “If a man spends on his family (with the intention of seeking reward from Allah) sincerely for Allah's sake then it is a (form of) Sadaqah (in reward for him).
✨[Sahih Bukhari 55]

‼️ Majority of the Scholars believe that Zakat cannot be spent on people for whom a person is held financially responsible for by the Sharee”ah.

2️⃣ For people who do not come as your responsibility (or are not your dependents) according to Sharee’ah but you have taken up their responsibility (voluntarily) under circumstances.*

🔎 Clarification:
🪢 You are not (financially) responsible for your relatives and kin, but holding the ties of kinship (صلہ رحمی) is essential.

🤝🏻 If your relatives come under any of the eight categories of Zakat, then Zakat can be spent on them. Even if you have a brother, who has separated from you and is not your dependent, and is poor and needy, then Zakat can be spent on him.

⛔ Spending Zakat on your poor and needy relatives once during the year and not taking care of them any further, does not fulfill the rights of kinship.

🎀 Allah ﷻ has given rights to our relatives, the poor and the needy over us.

📖 وَاٰتِ ذَا الْقُرْبٰى حَقَّهٗ وَ الْمِسْكِیْنَ وَ ابْنَ السَّبِیْلِ وَ لَا تُبَذِّرْ تَبْذِیْرًا۞
"And give the relative his right, and [also] the poor and the traveler, and do not spend wastefully."
✨[Al-Isra17: 26]

💰 Your relatives have a right over your income, too. You should spend Zakat on the poor and the needy, but if you have wealth, you should also spend on your poor and needy relatives apart from Zakat.

📚 The Prophet ﷺ said, “Verily, Sadaqah (charity) given to the poor has one reward, and Sadaqah (charity) given to family has two rewards: one for Sadaqah (charity) and one for upholding family ties.”
✨[At-Tirmidhi 658]

🗣️ The greatest Sadaqahs is giving charity to an unjust, rude, ever complaining relative.

💫 You should do good to an unjust relative and if he reciprocates with evil, then Allah ﷻ would aid you with the angels of Mercy.

🥰 Reciprocate evil with goodness!!

📖 Follow Allah’s command by doing good to all your relatives, even if they reciprocate with evil.