Is it permissible for a student of knowledge to leave his job and devote himself to seeking knowledge, and to take from the zakah what he spends on himself and his family?

Question:
May Allah reward you, Honorable Shaykh. This questioner says: Is it permissible for a person to leave his job, devote himself to seeking knowledge, and take from the zakah what he spends on himself and his family?

Answer:
If seeking knowledge is an individual obligation, then yes. He learns the rulings of his creed, his prayer, his zakah, his fasting, and his Hajj. Knowledge is of two types: learning knowledge is of two types, an individual obligation and a collective obligation. If he is learning the individual obligation, then yes, and he is given from the zakah. But if it is a collective obligation, then no. A collective obligation is recommended and not obligatory.
So he seeks his livelihood, while seeking his livelihood does not conflict with seeking knowledge. He seeks his livelihood and sets aside hours or a time in which he sits to seek knowledge. He works one day, for example, or five days, and devotes one day, or he sits at the beginning of the day and works the rest, or something similar to that.
He manages his affairs. And the students, until recently, before the institutes opened and before livelihood was made easy, used to work at night and seek knowledge from the shaykhs during the day. They used to carry water to the houses at night for a fee and seek knowledge during the day. Yes.