Is it permissible to give the sahm as-sadah portion of my yearly khums to my needy brother who is a sayyid? He is currently in a corrections facility and the judge has ordered him to secure 8 months of living expenses prior to being released. He has no savings or any source of income and needs the assistance from us to both accumulate the necessary living expenses and hire an attorney.
It is permissible to give your Sayyid brother the sahm as-sadah portion. However, based on obligatory precaution if he does not perform prayers (salat) and commits unlawful acts openly it is not permissible to give him khums. Furthermore, it is better to assist him with your non-khums money as an act of silat al-raham or maintaining the bonds of family.