Disbursing zakah to those who cannot afford the costs of education
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Q: My question here concerns four orphans. Is it permissible to disburse an amount from the zakah funds to them for tuition fees? These four students are two boys and two girls studying at different educational levels. The eldest boy and his eldest sister are studying in universities, while the girl and the boy are studying in secondary and primary school in Sudan. After their father left his job in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and returned to Sudan, he owns nothing but a small taxi (dabb) that helps the family with their daily sustenance, which is not sufficient for them. Their maternal uncle has taken responsibility for their living expenses. Their father passed away in Ramadan 1424 AH, and their mother is still alive. When they returned from the Kingdom to Sudan two years ago, they enrolled in private educational institutions, where they pay amounts as tuition fees according to the educational level of each one. In Sudan, as is known everywhere, one must pay fees for private education. I also inform Your Eminence that their father had a debt of ten
million Sudanese pounds, which is equivalent to approximately (15,000 riyals). Your Eminence, the Mufti: I hope you will issue a ruling on this matter; because one of the brothers has zakah and told me to verify whether zakah money can be disbursed to these orphans in their current situation. He has an opinion that says: Why don’t they study in government schools? So I said to him: If they had found an opportunity in government schools, they would have studied there without incurring educational expenses.
A: If these students do not have money sufficient for their necessary expenses, then it is permissible to pay them zakah for their sustenance and for their education.
million Sudanese pounds, which is equivalent to approximately (15,000 riyals). Your Eminence, the Mufti: I hope you will issue a ruling on this matter; because one of the brothers has zakah and told me to verify whether zakah money can be disbursed to these orphans in their current situation. He has an opinion that says: Why don’t they study in government schools? So I said to him: If they had found an opportunity in government schools, they would have studied there without incurring educational expenses.
A: If these students do not have money sufficient for their necessary expenses, then it is permissible to pay them zakah for their sustenance and for their education.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.