Is Zakat permissible to be given when the inheritance relationship is one-sided?

Chapter on Zakat on Sheep

Al-Mughni

Book of Zakat

Book 8 · Issue 3 · Bab 3

Open in Qurani

Primary text

If one relative inherits from the other, but the reverse is not true (e.g., an aunt and her brother's son, or a freed slave and their emancipator), the heir is obligated to support the one they inherit from. Therefore, the heir is prohibited from giving their Zakat to the person they inherit from. Conversely, the one who is not an heir to the other is not obligated to provide maintenance, and thus, they are permitted to give their Zakat to the relative who would inherit from them, as the prerequisite for prohibition (obligation of maintenance) is absent.