Giving money to someone to spend on their children

I gave money to my relative, who is poor, by saying that it is to buy sweets for his children. I did so because otherwise he will not accept the money. However, my intention was to help him. Can he use that money for his daily bread or does he have to use it only to buy sweets for children?

  بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم

الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما 

In principle, if a parent/guardian is gifted an item on behalf of their children, they are not entitled to use that gift on themselves. Rather, they would be required to give that gift to the child or use it in their best interests. Therefore, in the aforementioned scenario, it would be best to give the money under a different pretext, rather than saying that it is meant to be a gift for the children. 

والله اعلم

Allah Knows best.

Approved by: Mufti Husain Ahmad Madani