donations for eartquake victims

[PBUH]

asalam-alaikum,

Does this count as zakat ; what if you send money to relatives, who have lost their house and possesions during the earthquakes ?

[Imam]

Bismillahir Rahmanir Raheem

Assalamu 'Alaykum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuhu.


Jazakallah for your well thought out question.

Those people who were once well off, had houses, jobs, cars, and other luxuries, who were then faced with the turmoil of the earthquake in Kashmir, lost their loved ones, there houses, possessions, and everything that they owned, then it is perfectly permissable to send to them, donations for Zakah etc.


The general rule is that Zakah is for that destitute person who in the event of financial distress does not own any property of his own, which includes house, job, and other luxuries which other people who pay Zakah, may have.


Zakah can also be given to the poor orphans, poor widows, those students who study in the 'dar-ul-'ulums' who have no access to money, food, shelter, except their own, and other poor families who do not have enough to feed themselves at least twice a day.


Therefore, to send money as Zakah to relatives who have lost their posessions in the earthquakes is permissable. To the extent that you should pay your Zakah to those people who are close to you, and then other places, as the need for Zakah in your family is much greater than that of those, who are not so close to you.



Wallahu A'lamu Biththawaab


M. Waseem Ashrafi