Zakat to a Cousin, the Daughter of One’s Paternal Aunt

Question

(1) If Zayd, after the death of his paternal aunt’s husband and his paternal aunt, has taken his cousin, the daughter of his paternal aunt, into his house for upbringing, and Zayd wishes to give zakat money to his minor sister — will payment be effected in the true sense in this case or not? (2) After the money for the girl’s share has been received from the stepmother’s side, may the said girl, in both states — minority and majority — be entitled to zakat or not? That is all; with salam. 19 January 38 AH.

Answer

Answer (1) (1, 2) If she is a recipient of zakat — that is, she does not own property to the extent of the nisab — then it is proper to give her zakat, and by giving it to her the zakat will be discharged. But if she is not a recipient of zakat — that is, she owns property to the extent of the nisab in excess of her basic needs — then it is not proper to give her zakat.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

Preview. The full text opens with JavaScript enabled.