Is it permissible to spend zakah on building mosques and schools, and on places for teaching the Noble Qur'an?
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The questioner : Is it permissible to spend zakah on building mosques and schools, and on places for teaching the Noble Qur'an?
The Shaykh : This is a matter of disagreement among the scholars, stemming from the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted:[At-Tawbah 9:60] Does this refer to every means of drawing near to Allah through general public benefits, or does it refer only to fighting in the cause of Allah? What appears to me is that it refers only to fighting in the cause of Allah, because this is the known meaning when the term is used in a general sense, and because if we made it general, the restriction in His saying: [At-Tawbah 9:60] and so on, would serve no purpose. Also, restricting it to the fighters is more cautious, and what is more cautious is preferable to follow.
As for what the questioner mentioned regarding building schools and the like, these are good deeds that people are encouraged to perform, and spending money on them is from another angle, from the angle of voluntary charity and acts of goodness and righteousness. Yes.
The Shaykh : This is a matter of disagreement among the scholars, stemming from the interpretation of the saying of Allah the Exalted:
for the cause of Allah
وفي سبيل اللهZakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy
إنما الصدقات للفقراء والمساكينAs for what the questioner mentioned regarding building schools and the like, these are good deeds that people are encouraged to perform, and spending money on them is from another angle, from the angle of voluntary charity and acts of goodness and righteousness. Yes.