Eleventh: It is impermissible to give one’s zakah to those relatives whose maintenance he is already obliged to provide—namely, the heirs who would inherit from him by fixed share or by agnatic succession. This is the well-known view of the school. Al-Furūʿ, however, gives precedence to the opinion that it is permissible to give zakah to heirs other than one’s direct ascendants and descendants who inherit from him by fixed share or agnation, for the Prophet ﷺ said: “Charity given to a kinsman is both charity and an act of maintaining kinship,” recorded by Ahmad (15644). In this report he made no distinction between an heir and a non-heir, as noted earlier.

Twelfth: Some scholars have stated that wealth entails duties in addition to zakah, such as:
– assisting one’s relatives;
– maintaining bonds with brothers;
– giving to a petitioner;
– lending to someone in need.
This is the view adopted by a group of scholars. Shaykh al-Islam held that giving to a beggar is a communal obligation (farḍ kifāyah) when his plea is genuine.

Thirteenth: Al-Qurṭubī said: The scholars are unanimously agreed that if, after zakah has been distributed, a need arises that afflicts the Muslims, it becomes obligatory to direct wealth toward meeting that need.

Al-Iqnāʿ adds: According to the four imams, there is no obligatory right in wealth besides zakah; any texts suggesting otherwise are to be understood as recommendations and noble conduct. This applies to regular dues, not to unforeseen situations such as a person who is starving or without clothing—for such cases, spending is obligatory by consensus whenever the need appears.