QUESTION:
There exists a ‘Fatwa’ (Islamic ruling) in the ‘Wahabi’ sect that prohibits giving alms money to anyone considered a descendant of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them). Is it true that the descendants of the purified Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) are prohibited from receiving alms?
ANSWER:
In the Name of Allah, the All-Beneficent, the All-Merciful.
May Allah bless Muhammad and his Family and damn their enemies.
Alms prohibited from being awarded to a Hashimi* include only obligatory alms, such as Zakat or Zakat al-Fitra (alms given after the Holy Month of Ramadan). If the one giving the alms is also a Hashimi*, then it is no longer prohibited. That is the exception to the rule.
However, giving Mustahab (non-obligatory) alms money to a Hashimi* is not prohibited.
* Descendants of Ahl al-Bayt (peace be upon them) and the descendants of the tribe of Hashim to which they belong.
The Office of Sheikh al-Habib