سوال

I have a few questions regarding Zakat distribution. We are currently distributing Zakat to some charitable institutes, hospitals, and similar organizations.

They have Shariah boards and established systems, but there are a few instances that I do not fully understand, and I would like to ask for clarification

Schools: We had an experience with some matric-passed students from a school run by a charitable organization. We offered them IT courses, and since the students wanted the courses for free, we asked them to fill out a Zakat form. Almost everyone declined to fill out the form, saying they cannot do this on Zakat. Is this because of the stigma attached to Zakat?

اَلجَوَابْ بِاسْمِ مُلْہِمِ الصَّوَابْ

Yes, there is a negative perception in society regarding zakat, due to which many people feel reluctant to accept it. However, if a student consents to receive zakat, then—given that zakat requires actual transfer of ownership (tamlik)—the appropriate method would be to appoint an agent (wakil) on the behalf of the student. In that capacity, as an authorized agent  he  may receive the zakat and then use it to pay the required tuition fees.

بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع (2/ 39):

وأما ‌ركن ‌الزكاة فركن الزكاة هو إخراج جزء من النصاب إلى الله تعالى، وتسليم ذلك إليه يقطع المالك يده عنه بتمليكه من الفقير وتسليمه إليه أو إلى يد من هو نائب عنه وهو المصدق والملك للفقير يثبت من الله تعالى وصاحب المال نائب عن الله تعالى في التمليك والتسليم إلى الفقير.