Did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) give Abu Hurayrah from the zakah so that he could devote himself to seeking knowledge?

The questioner : Shaykh, may Allah reward you. Regarding giving to a student of knowledge who has devoted himself to seeking knowledge and is capable of earning a living, I say that the situation of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him), even though he was devoted to listening to hadith and recording it, and was also poor, and he was also hardworking and strong, and it is not mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) gave to him, or to 'Abdullah ibn 'Amr, or to 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar, even though his situation was moderate or below that.

The Shaykh : Do you have knowledge that the Messenger gave them and they did not return it? Perhaps he gave them and they returned it; we do not know.

The questioner : He gave them.

The Shaykh : Perhaps he gave them and they returned it.

The questioner : He gave them because of his poverty.

The Shaykh : Perhaps he gave them from the zakah and they said, "We do not want it"; we do not know.

The questioner : It is unlikely, if the Companions accepted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

The Shaykh : The matter that involves a possibility cannot be established as a precedent.

The questioner : But is it...

The Shaykh : As long as we have a general text that covers this situation, we will take it, and the possibility that it did not occur in the time of the Companions is not out of the question.