Discharging zakaat to recipients who are no longer eligible to receive zakaat
Q: I have a family member who was very much in debt and therefore was in need of zakaat money. I therefore took zakaat money from an acquaintance of mine and decided to collect more money before sending it to them as they are abroad and sending small amounts often would be costly.
However, after collecting the money, just before I could send it to them they had a property of a deceased relative which was sold and they received a fraction of their share of the estate (the money is given to them in few portions over a period of a couple of months as per the country's law and not all at once, so they had received a portion of their share of the estate not their entire share). With the amount received they started to settle their debts. Had they recieved the full amount of the estate they would be able to fulfill their debts but they haven't received their entire share as yet.
What should I do with the zakaat money I had for them. Can I still give it to them as the period of time in which I recieved the zakaat money for them, they were able to receive the zakaat and it was given to me for them but I could not send it due to it being costly to send it in small amounts so often.
If not then what should I do with the zakaat money that I have with me?
A: If they have inherited wealth which is more than their debt, and after paying off the debts they will own wealth equal or more than the zakaat nisaab, then they no longer remain eligible for zakaat. Hence, the zakaat you collected cannot be given to them. If the people that gave you zakaat gave you the wealth to give it to them specifically, then you should inform them (the owners of the wealth) of the situation and either return the wealth to them, so that they may discharge the zakaat themselves. Alternatively, if they give you permission to discharge the zakaat to other poor recipients, then you may do so.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
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