Can Zakat Be Given to Students for Education Expenses?


Shafi'i Fiqh

Answered by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Question

Is it permissible to give zakat to students who need help covering their education expenses?

Answer

In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, his Family, his Companions, and those who follow him.

Zakat, as is well known, has designated categories of recipients that have been clearly defined by Sacred Law. These eight categories are mentioned in the verse:

“Alms-tax is only for the poor and the needy, for those employed to administer it, for those whose hearts are attracted (to the faith), for (freeing) slaves, for those in debt, for Allah’s cause, and for (needy) travelers. (This is) an obligation from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.” [Quran, 9:60]


Eligibility of Students for Zakat

Students who are fully dedicated to their studies can be eligible for zakat under two categories: the poor (fuqara’) or in the cause of Allah (fi sabilillah).

In Fayd al-Ilahi al-Malik by Baqa’i, it states:

“As for an adult child who is capable of earning, they are not to be given zakat unless that child is a student seeking beneficial knowledge. In this case, their expenses should be covered by their wealthy parent. If there are no wealthy parents or close relatives, then their financial support becomes the responsibility of the public treasury, and they may be given zakat.”

Students of Knowledge

In the Shafi’i School, it is mentioned that a person who is capable of earning a living but is preoccupied with the pursuit of Islamic knowledge should still be given zakat. This is because seeking religious knowledge is a communal obligation (fard kifaya), unlike dedicating oneself solely to acts of worship.

Some scholars have also specified that the student should show promise of benefiting the Muslim community through their studies. [Nawawi, al-Majmu‘; Shirbini, Mughni al-Muhtaj; al-Mawsu‘a al-Fiqhiyya al-Kuwaytiyya]

And Allah knows best, and He is the source of success and guidance to the straight path.

[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib

Shaykh Dr Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib is a prominent Islamic scholar from Yemen born in Shibam, Hadhramaut, in 1976. He received his degree in Shari‘a from Al-Ahqaf University, a master’s degree from the Islamic University of Beirut, and a PhD in Usul al-Din from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).

He studied under great scholars such as Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad, Shaykh Fadl Ba‘ fadl, Habib Salim al-Shatiri, Habib Ali Mashhur bin Hafeez, and others. He has served as the Director of Publications at Dar al-Fiqh, the former Deputy Director of Cultural Relations at Al-Ahqaf University, a former Assistant for Employee Affairs at Atiyah Iron Company, a researcher at the Sunna Center affiliated with the Dallah al-Baraka Foundation, and a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch.

Currently, he is a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch, teaches traditionally through the Ijaza system at Dar al-Fuqaha in Turkey, supervises the Arabic department at Nur al-Huda International Institute (SeekersGuidance), and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Manuscript House in Istanbul.

His works include “The Efforts of Hadhramaut Jurists in Serving the Shafi‘i School,” “Contributions of Hadhramaut Scholars in Spreading Islam and its Sciences in India,” “Hada’iq al-Na‘im in Shafi‘i Fiqh,” in addition to verifying several books in Fiqh, history, the art of biographies, and Asanid (chains of narration).