Am I Allowed to Give Zakah to My Husband?

01 September, 2019
Q Is it allowed for a wife to give zakah to her husband?

Answer

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:

Imam Abu Hanifah views that a wife may give charity to her husband. Other Muslim scholars maintain that it is allowed for a wife to give zakah to her husband.


Answering your question, Sheikh Mustafa Umar, President of California Islamic University, states:

It is not allowed for anyone to give Zakah to a cause from which they would get personal benefit from. For example, if someone gave Zakah to a person who invited the donor for a dinner, then the donor would be benefiting from their own Zakah by eating food that was purchased with money given as Zakah.

A wife may give general charity to her husband. This is the opinion of Imam Abu Hanifah. Other Muslim scholars have said that it is allowed for a wife to give Zakah to her husband, since one of the Companions did that. However, I incline towards the first opinion.

Almighty Allah knows best.

About Sheikh Mustafa Umar
Sheikh Mustafa Umar is the President of California Islamic University.