Do students of knowledge from the House of the Prophet receive from zakah?

Question : Some dedicated students of knowledge from the People of the House find themselves in a difficult situation when zakah is distributed and they have no other source of income. What is the ruling on this, may Allah reward you?

Answer : The stronger opinion in this matter is that they may take from the zakah, as chosen by the Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him). He said: If the People of the House have nothing from the public treasury, then their taking from the zakah is better than them begging from people or incurring debt. What he said (may Allah have mercy on him) is the truth. However, some of them, as we have heard, die of hunger or take on debt without taking the zakah, saying that he is from the People of the House. It is then said: Praise be to Allah, dire necessity makes the prohibited permissible.