The family of the Prophet ( صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم ) upon whom charity is forbidden does not refer to the family of Ali, the family of Ja'far, and the family of Abbas, as some people think.

Imam Abu Bakr, may Allah have mercy on him, states that in the hadith of Hazrat Abdul Muttalib bin Rabee’ah, there is evidence that zakat is forbidden for the family of Abdul Muttalib just as it is forbidden for the descendants of Hashim other than them. As Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam, may Allah be pleased with him, narrates that those members of the Prophet’s family upon whom zakat is forbidden are the family of Ali, the family of Aqeel, the family of Abbas, and the family of Muttalib. And Janab al-Muttalibi used to say: Indeed, by the family of the Prophet (peace be upon him) is meant Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib, whom Allah Almighty has granted a share from the spoils of war in place of zakat. Then the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) clarified by distributing the share of the close relatives (Dhu al-Qurba) between Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib, making it clear that by Allah Almighty’s statement «‏‏‏‏ذَوِي الْقُرْبَىٰ» ‏‏‏‏“Give to the near relatives,”is meant Banu Hashim and Banu Muttalib, and the other relatives of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) are not included in this.

Yazid bin Hayan narrates that I, Husain bin Samrah, and Amr bin Muslim went to Sayyiduna Zaid bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) and sat with him. Husain said to him,“O Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him), you have had the honor of seeing the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), and you have also performed prayers behind him. You have heard his sayings and participated in battles with him. O Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him), indeed you have attained much goodness and blessings. O Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him), tell us a hadith that you heard from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and you were present with the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) at that time.”He said,“Certainly, O nephew, my meeting with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was a long time ago, and I have grown old, and I have forgotten some of the sayings of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) that I used to remember. Therefore, accept whatever I narrate to you, and do not burden me with what I do not narrate.”Then he said,“One day, the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) stood up to deliver a sermon to us at a place of water called Khumm. He praised and glorified Allah. He admonished and advised us. Then he said: ‘Amma ba’du, O people, indeed I am only a human being. Soon, the messenger of my Lord will come to me, and I will respond to him. And indeed, I am leaving among you two very important and precious things. The first of them is the Book of Allah, the Noble Qur’an. In it is guidance and light. Whoever holds fast to it and acts upon it will be rightly guided, and whoever leaves it and does not act upon it will go astray. The second thing is my Ahl al-Bayt (household). I remind you by Allah regarding my Ahl al-Bayt (to treat them well and avoid mistreating them).’ He (peace and blessings be upon him) repeated this three times.”Husain said,“O Zaid, who are the Ahl al-Bayt of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)? Are his noble wives not among his Ahl al-Bayt?”He replied,“Why not, his noble wives are among his Ahl al-Bayt. But his Ahl al-Bayt are those upon whom zakat is forbidden.”He asked,“Who are they?”He replied,“They are the family of Ali, the family of Aqil, the family of Ja’far, and the family of Abbas.”Husain asked,“Is charity forbidden for all of them?”Sayyiduna Zaid (may Allah be pleased with him) replied,“Yes.”