Giving Zakat to somebody to buy a house
11-11-2007 | IslamWeb
Question:
Assalamu Alaikum ! I am Kaleelurrahman From Tirupur, I pleased to clear my question about ZAKATH. My cusin brother is working in a company and get Rs.5000/- per month, but he should pay atleast 3000/- for his house rent.and balance 2000/- is not enough for run his family. Now he got 3 lacs from his family property,If Igive him 125000 more he can get one house with besic amenities,after that he can run his life with his 5000/- rupees,he living with his wife and two childrens. Can I give the 1,25000/- from my Zakat fund? Please Reply
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad 
is His slave and Messenger.
If the situation is as you mentioned in the question, that the salary of your husband is not sufficient for him and the people he is obliged to provide for after paying the rent, but when adding the extra money he got (300,000) to what remains from his salary, it becomes sufficient for him to sustain himself, then in our view it is not permissible to pay the Zakat to him. This is because he fulfils his needs and the needs of whoever he is obliged to spend on with the entire money which he has, so he should not be given money as a poor or destitute person.
According to the majority of scholars 
the amount of sufficiency which prevents a person from being eligible to take Zakat is food and drinks and accommodation, and other necessities, either for the person himself or for those he is obliged to spend on (without being extravagant or stingy) as clarified in the Fiqh Encyclopaedia.
Living in a rented accommodation does not mean that he is poor, as long as his salary and the added money which he got are sufficient for him to pay rent, and eat and drink.
For more benefit on the recipients of Zakat, please refer to Fatwa 88368.