Is it permissible to give Zakat on money for marrying poor orphaned girls, or contributing to building a charitable hospital or school, or purchasing equipment for poor families' projects, or giving Zakat in kind, or covering the medical and household needs of poor families and orphans, or financially supporting students of knowledge, or enriching a poor family, or funding vocational training courses?

An orphan is one whose father has died and who has not reached puberty. A girl reaches puberty in four ways: reaching 15 years of age, or the emission of semen, or menstruation, or the growth of coarse hair around the private parts. Zakat cannot be given to an orphan unless they are one of the eight categories mentioned in the Quran, such as being poor. Zakat cannot be spent on building a hospital or a school. It is permissible to give it to a charitable organization provided that it spends it on its designated channels. It is permissible to give Zakat to a poor family to purchase a craft machine or other items that generate income for them. It is not permissible to give in-kind items instead of cash for Zakat on currency and trade goods, nor to give cash instead of livestock or grains and fruits, according to the majority of scholars. There is no harm in giving Zakat to a poor family, but the Zakat must be given as ownership to the one it is spent on. There is no harm in giving Zakat to a poor family to meet their needs, especially if Christians are offering them aid with the aim of turning them away from their religion.