Can Zakat be given to rich students?
Can Zakah be given to rich students who are studying full time in a madrassa? I know the Syrian mashaykh give fatwa of jawaz but wanted to know more about this.
Answer
Wa’alaykum as Salam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuhu,
In order for a person to be deserving of Zakah, he needs to have wealth beneath the Nisaab (Zakah threshold, which is the value of 612.35 grams of silver). If any student has more than this amount of wealth, in will not be permissible to give him Zakah.
In issues where there is difference of opinion, it is best to take the more cautionary view. Rather give the Zakah to this who have not eaten for days, or those who are really struggling to make ends meet.