Giving zakaah to a poor woman whose husband does not spend on her
Question

                I have a needy aunt who has many children. Her husband is rich but does not spend on her has he has many wives and children. Shall I give my Zakat to her?.
Praise be to Allah.If a woman is married, her 
    husband is obliged to spend on her. But if he is in difficulty or he refuses 
    to spend on her, and she is poor and has no wealth, then she may be given 
    zakaah funds. 
There is nothing wrong with 
    you giving her some of your zakaah because you are not obliged to spend on 
    her. 
Ibn Qudaamah (may Allaah 
    have mercy on him) said in al-Mughni (2/279): If the poor woman has a 
    husband who is well off and spends on her, then it is not permissible to 
    give zakaah to her, because she has what she needs from the obligatory 
    maintenance that is spent on her. … But if he does not spend on her, then it 
    is permissible to give it to her. This was stated by Ahmad. End quote. 
Al-Nawawi (may Allaah have 
    mercy on him) said in al-Minhaaj: The one who is taken care of by a 
    relative or spouse who spends on him or her is not poor or needy according 
    to the more correct opinion. 
Mughni al-Muhtaaj 
    (4/176). 
Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah 
    have mercy on him) was asked: I have a sister who is married and is of 
    modest means. Is it permissible for me to give some of my zakaah to her so 
    as to raise her standard of living and help her to raise her children, 
    especially since her husband does not care about anyone but himself, 
    although we have tried hard to set him straight? 
He replied: If she is poor 
    and her husband does not spend on her, and you cannot set him straight, and 
    it is not possible to force him to spend on her, then it is permissible to 
    give her zakaah based on what she needs. End quote from Fataawa al-Shaykh 
    Ibn Baaz (14/269). 
Shaykh Ibn Jibreen (may 
    Allaah preserve him) was asked: There is a person who has a niece (his 
    sister’s daughter) who is married to a man who has another wife; can this 
    girl be given zakaah? 
He replied: Yes, her 
    maternal uncle may give her zakaah if she is poor and her husband does not 
    spend on her because of poverty or miserliness. 
Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen (may 
    Allaah have mercy on him) said in al-Sharh al-Mumti’ (6/257): With 
    regard to the words ‘Zakaah may not be given to a poor woman who is married 
    to a rich man who spends on her,’ 
The author stipulated two 
    conditions: 
1 – That she should be 
    married to a rich man 
2 – That he should spend on 
    her maintenance. 
In that case zakaah should 
    not be given to her, because in fact she is not poor, because her husband 
    who spends on her has made her free of need. 
But if she is married to a 
    poor man then zakaah is permissible for her and for her husband, because the 
    description (of being poor) is applicable in that case. 
If she is married to a rich 
    man, but he is one of the most miserly of people, then she may be given 
    zakaah, because she is poor and has not been made free of need by her 
    husband. So she is included among those mentioned in the verse 
    (interpretation of the meaning): “As-Sadaqaat (here it means Zakaah) are 
    only for the Fuqaraa’ (poor), and Al‑Masaakeen (the poor) …” [al-Tawbah 
    9:60]. 
If someone were to ask: Why 
    do you not say to her: Ask your husband and take him to court? 
We say: We will not say 
    that to her, because this will lead to problems and it may end up with him 
    divorcing her, which will cause her harm. Undoubtedly meeting her needs so 
    as to ward off this harm is what is enjoined by sharee’ah. End quote. 
To sum up: It is 
    permissible to give your zakaah to your maternal aunt if she is poor or 
    needy and her husband does not give her enough.