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:

AssalamAlikum….. I have been reading your articles and learned many things about Islam. I am thanking you all for providing useful information on Islam.

As you know zakat money is given to poor Muslim or madarsa. Every year i use distribute the zakat money to poor muslims. I have few queries regarding using zakat money.

1) Can i use the Zakat money to educate a poor Muslim student?

2) I want to use the zakat money to educate poor Muslim students. I will select poor Muslim person, i will spend zakat money to train person on some useful training work like tailoring, type writing or learning some work or pursuing some graduation, which will help him to earn bread for him and his family members. While giving money to him, i will make clear intention in my heart that i am giving zakat money to the person. But i will not tell the poor person that the money is zakat money. I will say to him iam giving money to help him; after he completes the training he should return the money. Once he successfully completed this training or learning i will declare, not to return the money which i have spent on him. My intension in doing so is, poor person feel some responsibility during the training and effective learn the skills. Please tell me any thing wrong in doing so....

3) Can i use Zakat money to help in marriages of Poor Muslims?

Please kindly answer my above queries and if any thing wrong in doing as stated above...., please let me know. If any better ways to use zakat money please suggest.

(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:

Zakah on Education

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 no one (no idol, no person,  no grave, no prophet,  no imam,  no dai,  nobody!) worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

May Allah Subhanah reward you with the best of this world and the Hereafter for your kind comments of encouragement for our humble efforts in the propagation of the Truth.  If our humble and modest efforts have helped even one brother or sister get closer to Allah and His Deen of Truth, then we would consider ourselves indeed fortunate to have been given this opportunity by the Lord Most Merciful to serve in His Cause.  We hope, beg, and pray the Merciful Lord  accepts our humble and weak efforts,  forgives us our shortcomings, and saves you, us, and all the believers from the torment of the Hell Fire.  Ameen.

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.

In light of the above guidance of the Glorious Quran, Zakah can be paid in any of the eight above listed categories.

Your Question-1: Can i use the Zakat money to educate a poor Muslim student?

The poor and needy are indeed amongst those to whom Zakah dues may be paid in Islam.

Your Question-2: I will say to him iam giving money to help him; after he completes the training he should return the money. Once he successfully completed this training or learning i will declare, not to return the money which i have spent on him. My intension in doing so is, poor person feel some responsibility during the training and effective learn the skills. Please tell me any thing wrong in doing so....

One of the obligatory conditions of paying one’s zakah is that the person when paying it makes an intention (in his heart) that the payment is from his zakah dues.  There is absolutely no need or obligation that the one receiving the zakah dues be told or informed that the alms are from zakah.

One should not tell the person receiving the zakah that the payment is a debt which he has to return later, regardless of whatever the intention one has in one’s heart to forgive him the debt later.  It would be best to rather spend on the person, and make intention in one’s heart that the funds being spent are from the zakah dues only for the sake and pleasure of Allah Subhanah.

Your Question-3: Can i use Zakat money to help in marriages of Poor Muslims?

Spending on the ‘poor’ and the ‘needy’ are indeed from the allowable portals where zakah dues can be spent; thus it is absolutely permissible for one to spend from one’s zakah dues to help in the marriage costs of poor muslims.

Your Question: If any better ways to use zakat money please suggest.

Al-Tirmidhi Hadith 1939        Narrated by Sulayman ibn Amir

Allah's Messenger (saws) said, "Alms given to a poor man is just alms, but when given to a relative it serves a double purpose, being both charity and helping joining relations."

The deen of Islam has emphasized time and time again to establish ties with one’s relatives, and encouraged the believers to be good to one’s kith and kin.  Although paying charity to the poor and needy is good and one will have his reward with Allah, if one gives his charity to one amongst his relatives who is poor he will have a double reward from Allah Subhanah: one for the fulfillment of his zakah dues, and two for enjoining and helping one’s kith and kin.  The Messenger of Allah (saws) said that charity to one’s relatives is amongst the best of charities.

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