Fatwa ID: 03750
Answered by: Shaykh Umer Khan
Question
Assalamualaykum.
I pray you're all well.
I wanted to ask that when you give non-Muslims financial aid etc. is this nafl sadaqah? What is it counted as?
Obviously, you don’t give zakat but I was just wondering as my husband has a non-Muslim friend whose wife has just been diagnosed with cancer.
Jzk
بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمنِ الرَّحِيْم
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
You are correct: zakāh cannot be given to non-Muslims.
However, it is permissible to give charity (ṣadaqah) to needy non-Muslims as a supererogatory (nafl) act of virtue. A Muslim helps all those in need, not just other Muslims. The Prophet ﷺ is reported to have said: "There is a reward for serving any living being".[1]
Only Allah knows best
Written by Shaykh Umer Khan
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham