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Paying for Mother’s Umrah from Zakah

19 February, 2018
Q I wish to take my mother and sister to perform `Umrah. My father is unable to pay for my mother and although my sister is employed, she cannot afford any extra costs. May I pay for their `Umrah? If this is permissible, am I allowed to pay from my zakah?

Answer

Sheikh Ahmad Kutty
19 February, 2018

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful. 

All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.

In this fatwa:

1- It is not permissible for you to pay for your mother’s and sister’s Umrah from your zakah because Umrah is not obligatory.

2- However, you will be greatly rewarded by Almighty Allah if you help them to perform Umrah.

Responding to your question, Sheikh Ahmad Kutty, a senior lecturer and an Islamic scholar at the Islamic Institute of Toronto, Ontario, Canada, states:

You can definitely take your mother and sister for Umrah if you can afford to do so. In fact, this would be considered an extremely meritorious act; however, you are not allowed to pay for this with your zakah. This is because Umrah is not fard (obligatory), so paying for it cannot be considered essential. Zakah should be directed to far greater priorities.

According to some scholars, including Ibn Taymiyyah, the case of Hajj is different for a person who has not performed it before. In this case it is permissible to give zakah to those who have never performed Hajj.

Almighty Allah knows best.

Editor’s note: This fatwa is from Ask the Scholar’s archive and was originally published at an earlier date.