Is it permissible to pay Zakat to an elementary school for children that is in need of financial support?
Source: FtawySummary from Ftawy's records · added here Sep 2, 2026
It is not permissible to disburse to a school unless its students are poor or fall within the eight categories of Zakat beneficiaries mentioned in the Quran: the poor, the needy, those employed to collect [Zakat], those whose hearts are to be reconciled, [to free] those in bondage, those in debt, in the cause of Allah, and the wayfarer. Some people have broadened the interpretation of "in the cause of Allah" to include Hajj, but its original meaning is for Jihad. There are other avenues for supporting the school, such as Sadaqa (charity), grants, and endowments.
Summary from Ftawy's records · added here
Reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
Read the full answer on Ftawyhttps://ftawy.com/en/questions/14894
Where this answer came from
- Source platform
- Ftawy
- Original fatwa ID
- 14894
- Added here
- . This is when the answer was added to El Fatwa, not the fatwa's date.
- Text
- Summary from Ftawy's records, reviewed by El Fatwa's sharia committee.
- Read the full ruling
- Read the full answer on Ftawy