Zakat to a child whose mother is a sayyida

Question

I had a cousin (the son of my paternal uncle) who has passed away. He himself was not a sayyid, but the wife he left behind is a sayyida. They also have three or four minor children. May zakat be given to them according to the Shari‘a? If not, may it be given by means of a Shari‘a hila (legal device)? The condition of these people is most pitiable: the children cannot properly get either bread or clothing. In these times it is not possible to give anyone financial help apart from zakat.

Answer

It is permissible to give zakat to these children: lineage (nasab) runs through the father, and the father of these children was not a sayyid.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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