Title: My mother-in-law is a widow and she is earning Rs.13,000 every month from her pension, her husband's half pension and also through rent.Whenever she has to pay zakat she will cry that she has to give so much and now she says some one has said to her that as now she is widow now she can ask her sons to pay zakat. Is it correct that her son can pay zakat? As she doesn't spend a single amount on her sons.

Question: Assalam valaikum, My mother-in-law is a widow and she is earning Rs.13,000 every month from her pension, her husband's half pension and also through rent.Whenever she has to pay zakat she will cry that she has to give so much and now she says some one has said to her that as now she is widow now she can ask her sons to pay zakat. Is it correct that her son can pay zakat? As she doesn't spend a single amount on her sons. Allah hafiz

Answer ID: 22012Posted on: Aug 31, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 764/519/L=1431)

Zakah is obligatory on one who possesses wealth equal to nisab with required conditions, so the responsibility of paying Zakah as well would lie on him. However if someone else pays on his behalf with his or her permission Zakah shall be paid. Hence in the question mentioned above, if son pays Zakah on his mother's order, she would be free from obligation.