Assalaamu alaykum. My question is related to zakah. I have a Muslim friend that lives in Dubai, he earns around 4,000 AED and lives in a company-provided room. He is married and has a young daughter, but they live in India. In order for him to bring his family to Dubai, he needs to rent an apartment and pay a few fees to get the necessary application and then pay other fees to register for their residency and ID on top of their flights. He is not able to do that as the total amount is around 10,000 AED, which he cannot afford. My question is: if I pay for the whole amount needed to bring his family to Dubai, can I deduct this amount from my zakah? May Allaah reward you.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, is His slave and Messenger.

Reuniting with his family (wife and daughter) is one of the basic needs of this man. Hence, if he is unable to pay the mentioned fees, it is permissible for you to give him these fees from zakah funds given his financial situation. He falls into the category of the poor and needy whose income does not cover their basic needs.

Allaah knows best.