He was also asked—may Allah have mercy on him—about giving charity to needy relatives and others.

He replied:

“If a person’s wealth is insufficient to provide for both relatives and others, maintaining his relatives is obligatory upon him, so he must not give to others in a way that harms his relatives. As for zakat and expiatory payments, these may be given to a relative whom he does not maintain. When circumstances are equal, relatives have priority.”

Chapter on Child Custody

He was asked—may Allah Most High have mercy on him:

“A man had a son who died, leaving an eight-year-old child. The wife is asking the grandfather for maintenance. She subsequently remarried and was divorced, without the grandfather knowing about this. She has taken the child and travelled away, and the grandfather does not know her whereabouts. Is the grandfather obliged to pay maintenance or not?”

He replied:

“If the mother marries, she has no right to custody. If she travels to settle elsewhere, custody belongs to the grandfather rather than to her. If a woman has a child in her custody without being entitled to custody and demands maintenance, she has no right to it, for she is wrongfully retaining custody. She is therefore not entitled to demand maintenance.

“If the grandfather is unable to maintain his son’s son, he is not obliged to maintain him.”