Question Summary:
Zakaat to ones Uncle

Question Detail:

Assalaam Aliekum,
Can I give zakat to my uncle, who is married and have 6 kids. I bleieve that he have more amount than Nisab in his current bank account but he is currently jobless for past few months and pulling money from this account to survive.
Later this year, he plans for his daughters marriage and needs help as he can not afford by himself.
So, is this accetable for me to give my zakat to him?
JazakAllah Khair.
 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
If your uncle has more cash than the nisaab amount of Zakat and he does not have liabilities equivalent to or more than the amount he has in the bank, then he does not qualify as a legitimate recipient of Zakat.
If he has liabilities lesser than the amount in the bank and the surplus in the bank after deducting his liabilities is not equivalent to the nisaab amount, then he qualifies as a legitimate recipient of Zakat.
In that instance, it will be more rewarding to give your Zakat to your uncle.[i]
If and when your uncle becomes indebted due to getting his daughters married, then you may assist him with your Zakat money according to the nisaab principle explained above.
 
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Abdullah Syed Sajid
Student Darul Iftaa
Houston, TX, USA 
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.