Khums: Can Sayyids’ Khums Be Given to Neglected Family of a Wealthy Father?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Khums: Can Sayyids’ Khums Be Given to Neglected Family of a Wealthy Father?

English:

Question #1012:

There is a sayyid lady who claims that her father does not fulfill his duty to pay for their maintenance. The situation has now reached the stage that they are begging outside the masjid so that they may be able to get some money for their daily expenditures. It is also known in the area that this sayyid is a rich man but a miser and accordingly he does not spend on his family. Is it permissible to give them their maintenance from the sayyids’ share of the khums? And if the father says: “My responsibility is only to dress and feed them, on the exclusion of giving anything else such as pocket money and the things of specific use for women, then is it permissible to spend the sayyids’ share of khums for them to the extent sufficient to fulfill their needs?

Answer #1012:

With regards to the first situation in which they are unable to acquire their maintenance from their father, it is permissible to give their ma’ūnah from the sayyids’ share of khums. As far as the second situation is concerned, if they need something other than clothing and eating in accordance with their social status, it is also permissible to give them a sufficient amount of the sayyids’ share of khums to cover these needs.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Khums