Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

ASA,
Is it permissible to spend Zakah on Islamic school construction, support children attending the school?  Thank you

Also if someone askes you for zakat to pay of someone debt and that debt is due to gambling then should you give him zakat or any other reason he is in debt is he entitle to zakat.? 

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Usage of zakah money

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 60:

60      Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to the Truth), for those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

 

Allah Subhanah has prescribed that ‘zakah’ should be paid to any of the above eight listed categories:

1. To the poor
2. To the needy
3. To those who are employed to administer the zakah funds
4. To those whose hearts have recently been reconciled to the Truth of Islam (new-muslims)
5. For those in bondage
6. For those in debt
7. In the Cause of Allah
8. To the way-farer or traveler

 

Your Question: Is it permissible to spend Zakah on Islamic school construction, support children attending the school?

The majority of the scholars have opined that if one happens to live in a land where the muslims are not in the majority, there is absolutely no harm if the believers there utilize a part of their zakah dues to build and/or maintain an Islamic school, and support the students who study there.

 

But if one lives in a land where the muslims are in the majority, it would be best if one abstained from spending zakah dues on Islamic learning institutions….but rather they should spend on establishing such institutions from their non-zakah or charity funds for the Pleasure of Allah Subhanah. 

 

And Allah Alone Knows Best.

 

Your Question: Also if someone askes you for zakat to pay of someone debt and that debt is due to gambling then should you give him zakat or any other reason he is in debt is he entitle to zakat.? 

There is absolutely no harm if one spends of one’s zakah dues to pay a believer’s debt which that believer is unable to pay himself.

 

If one is a believer and has accrued debt due to an illegal indulgence like gambling, etc., and that believer has made sincere repentance, one should indeed help their brother pay off his debts.  But if one has accrued debt due to unlawful indulgence, and one knows that the person would return back to his unlawful indulgence if their debt is paid….one should abstain from paying the debt of such a person.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan