Yes — Zakat can be given to help a deserving Muslim get married, provided the bride or groom (or the family receiving it on their behalf) is genuinely poor or needy and cannot afford the essentials of a nikah and a modest start to married life. The Zakat must pass into the eligible person’s ownership and should cover real needs — basic household items, the groom’s mahr, essential clothing, a simple walimah — not extravagance or inflated dowry demands. Zakat cannot be given by parents to their own children, and it should not fund lavish functions. In Pakistan, where dowry expectations push many families into debt or leave daughters unmarried, marriage support is one of the most dignity-preserving uses of Zakat.
In Islam, marriage was meant to be easy. In Pakistan, it has become one of the most expensive events in a family’s life.
The pressure comes largely from cultural expectations rather than religion. Families of brides are often expected to provide jahez — furniture, appliances, clothing, kitchenware and sometimes cash — alongside multiple functions with large guest lists. A 2021 Gallup & Gilani Pakistan survey found that 53% of respondents agreed with the practice of giving and receiving dowry, showing how deeply the custom is embedded even though most families find it a burden.
Pakistan’s Dowry and Bridal Gifts (Restriction) Act 1976 places legal limits on dowry, but enforcement is weak. Meanwhile, research on Pakistani household debt identifies marriage ceremonies as one of the leading reasons families borrow from informal lenders. With the World Bank reporting that 25.3% of Pakistanis lived below the national poverty line in 2024-25, millions of parents face an impossible choice: borrow at high cost, or delay their daughter’s marriage indefinitely.
Proposals that fall through because a family cannot meet dowry demands are a quiet tragedy repeated across Pakistan’s towns and katchi abadis.
Before asking what Zakat can fund, it helps to separate what the Shariah requires from what culture expects.
Islamic Requirement | Cultural Expectation (Not Required) |
Consent of bride and groom | Large engagement and mehndi functions |
Nikah with witnesses and a wali | Barat feasts for hundreds of guests |
Mahr paid by the groom to the bride | Jahez furniture and appliances from the bride’s family |
Walimah hosted by the groom, as he can afford | Gold sets and cash gifts to in-laws |
Groom’s responsibility to provide housing and maintenance | Expensive wedding halls and designer outfits |
Islam places the financial responsibility of marriage on the groom — through mahr and maintenance — not on the bride’s family. The Prophet ï·º prepared his daughter Fatimah for marriage with a few simple household items, reported in the hadith collections as a garment, a water skin and a pillow. Allah commands in Surah An-Nur (24:32) that the community help unmarried people marry, promising that if they are poor, Allah will enrich them from His bounty.
Scholars permit Zakat for marriage under the categories of the poor (fuqara) and the needy (masakin) in Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60, when these conditions are met:
The groom can also receive Zakat if he is poor and cannot afford the mahr or the basic setup of a home — Zakat is not limited to the bride’s side. Our detailed guide on who is eligible for Zakat explains eligibility further.
Usually Acceptable Uses | Not Appropriate for Zakat |
Basic bedding, a bed and a cupboard | Expensive furniture sets for display |
Essential kitchen utensils and a stove | Gold jewellery beyond basic need |
Modest clothing for the bride or groom | Designer bridal wear |
The groom’s mahr, if he is poor | Wedding hall bookings for large functions |
A simple walimah meal | Cash gifts to the groom’s family |
Clearing debts taken for basic wedding needs | Meeting inflated dowry demands |
The guiding question is: does this help two people begin a halal married life with dignity, or does it feed a custom that Islam never required? Zakat should do the first. Where a family has already borrowed for basic wedding needs, Zakat may also be given to clear those debts — see our guide on using Zakat to pay off debt.
Make sure the bride or groom and their household genuinely cannot afford the essentials. A family that owns spare property or significant savings is expected to use those first.
List the essentials together: mahr if supporting the groom, bedding, kitchen basics, modest clothing, a simple walimah. Leave out items driven by social pressure.
Give the money to the bride, groom or their guardian, or buy the items and hand them over as their property. Under the Hanafi view, ownership must pass to the eligible recipient for Zakat to count.
Intend Zakat when you give or set the amount aside. You do not need to tell the family it is Zakat if that would embarrass them.
If you do not personally know a deserving family, a registered trust can verify cases and handle purchases transparently.
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If the family is not technically eligible for Zakat but is still under strain — for example, a lower-middle-class household with a small plot of land but no cash — you can help with Sadaqah instead, which has no eligibility restrictions. Our explainer on the difference between Zakat and Sadaqah sets out when each applies.
Amanatdaar Welfare Trust runs a dedicated marriage support programme that helps underprivileged families in Pakistan manage the financial burden of weddings, so couples can begin married life with dignity rather than debt. The programme aims to reduce the financial strain of marriage, promote social equality, and strengthen community bonds.
Marriage support connects naturally with the trust’s other work. Many of the brides supported come from families already enrolled in widow support or monthly food rations, where a mother raising daughters alone has no realistic way to fund a wedding. Individual cases are also shared as appeals on the website, so donors can see who they are helping.
Perspective from Amanatdaar Welfare Trust: “We often meet mothers who have postponed a daughter’s marriage for years because they cannot meet what is expected of them. We believe a wedding should be a blessing, not a debt sentence. When donors support a simple nikah, a few essentials and a modest walimah, they help a young woman begin her new life with her head held high — and they help families rediscover that the Sunnah way is the easy way.”
Yes. If the girl and her family are eligible for Zakat and cannot afford the basic essentials of marriage, Zakat can be given to her or her guardian to cover those needs. It should support a modest marriage, not extravagant functions.
Zakat can cover genuinely necessary household items a poor bride needs to start married life, such as bedding and kitchen basics. It should not be used to meet inflated dowry demands, which are a cultural practice and not an Islamic requirement.
Yes. If the groom is eligible for Zakat and cannot afford the mahr or a basic home setup, he can receive Zakat. Islam places the main financial responsibility of marriage on the groom, so supporting a poor groom is fully in line with the Sunnah.
No. Parents cannot give Zakat to their own children, because they are already obliged to support them. You can, however, give Zakat to eligible siblings, nieces, nephews or other relatives for their marriages.
Both are valid if ownership passes to the eligible recipient. Buying essential items directly can ensure the help is used for real needs, while cash allows the family to prioritise. A trust can handle purchases and document them for you.
Generally no. Large functions, expensive halls and display items are not basic needs. Zakat is for the poor’s genuine needs; a simple walimah meal is appropriate, a lavish event is not.
You can give online through Amanatdaar’s marriage support project page, designating your gift as Zakat or Sadaqah. Donors in the United States can give through the trust’s US-registered charity, YL Charity Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit.
The Prophet ﷺ taught that marriage should be easy, and Allah commands the community to help the unmarried marry. Somewhere along the way, Pakistani society made it hard — and the poorest families pay the highest price.
Zakat is one of the strongest tools to reverse that. Given to an eligible bride or groom, spent on real needs, and kept free of extravagance, it allows a young couple to begin their life together in dignity, and it quietly models the Sunnah way of marriage for everyone watching.
To help a deserving family celebrate a simple, dignified nikah, give your Zakat or Sadaqah through Amanatdaar’s marriage support programme.
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