Is it permissible to give the Zakah due to "Those whose Hearts are to be Reconciled" to pay for the tuition of new Muslim students of Sharia? It is worth pointing that this Zakah is used for buying books, paying tuition and utility bills of the center in charge of this Zakah-worthy category: "Those whose Hearts are to be Reconciled."
Answer:
All perfect praise be to Allah the Lord of the Worlds. May His peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Mohammad and upon all his family and companions.
The students of Sharia sciences are paid from the Zakah of the category of the poor and needy, not the category of "Those whose Hearts are to be Reconciled". This is because the latter category is specific and limited in number as indicated by the scholars, and the students of Sharia aren`t part of it.
It is stated in the Shafie book {Bushra al-Kareem, P.529}: "Those whose Hearts are to be Reconciled" are the following categories:
First: A new Muslim given from Zakah to strengthen his/her faith.
Second: An honorable Muslim given from Zakah hoping that his peers would convert, even a woman, however, it is forbidden to give this Zakah to a disbeliever no matter what the case maybe."
Kindly check Fatwa No. (642) on our website and in which we stated that it is permissible to give Zakah to poor students. And Allah the Almighty knows best.