During the coronavirus pandemic, is it allowed to use half of the portion of the Imam (Sahm al-Imam) to supply basic necessities like food, clothing and shelter and prevent people from becoming infected with the disease? Can this be used in advance even though date of khums is still far away?
There is no problem in spending from the sahm al-Imam portion to help believers who are in dire need for basic necessities provided that the religious criteria of distribution are observed.