Can zakaah be given to those who volunteer for jihad for the sake of Allaah?
Question

                Can zakaah be given to those who volunteer for jihad for the sake of Allaah?.
Praise be to Allah.Allaah has 
    explained the categories to whom zakaah may be given, as He says 
    (interpretation of the meaning): 

    “As-Sadaqaat (here it means Zakaah) are only for the Fuqaraa’ (poor), and 
    Al‑Masaakeen (the poor) and those employed to collect (the funds); and to 
    attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to 
    free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Allaah’s Cause (i.e. for 
    Mujaahidoon — those fighting in a holy battle), and for the wayfarer (a 
    traveller who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allaah. And 
    Allaah is All-Knower, All-Wise”

    [al-Tawbah 9:60]
This has 
    been discussed in the answer to question no.
    6977, where we explained that 
    “for Allaah’s cause (fi sabeel-Allaah)” refers to jihad for the sake 
    of Allaah. Some scholars also added Hajj to that because of a hadeeth which 
    was narrated to that effect. 
Ibn Katheer 
    (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: 
With regard 
    to [the phrase] “for Allaah’s cause (fi sabeel-Allaah)”, this includes the 
    warriors who do not have a regular salary from the state. According to Imam 
    Ahmad, al-Hasan and Ishaq, it also includes Hajj for the sake of Allaah, 
    because of the hadeeth. 
Tafseer 
    Ibn Katheer, 2/367 
In the 
    answer to question no. 7853 we 
    have explained that it is permissible to give zakaah to the people of 
    Chechnya. 
It should be 
    noted that the phrase “for Allaah’s cause (fi sabeel-Allaah)” is not general 
    in meaning and does not include all types of charity; rather it refers to 
    jihad for the sake of Allaah. 
Shaykh Ibn 
    ‘Uthaymeen (may Allaah have mercy on him) said:  
As for this 
    applying only to jihad for the sake of Allaah, there is no doubt concerning 
    that, unlike those who say that which is meant by “for Allaah’s cause (fi 
    sabeel-Allaah)” is all kinds of good and charitable deeds, According to this 
    interpretation, it would refer to everything that is done seeking the 
    Countenance of Allaah, such as building mosques, repairing roads, building 
    schools, printing books, and other deeds that are done to draw closer to 
    Allaah, because there is no limit to the righteous deeds that may be done 
    for the sake of Allaah. 
But this 
    view is weak, because if we were to interpret the verse in this manner, 
    there would be no point in the limitation (innama, translated as 
    “only”) mentioned in the verse, where Allaah says “As-Sadaqaat (here it 
    means Zakaah) are only for the Fuqaraa’ (poor),” [al-Tawbah 9:60]. This 
    has to do with the wording of the verse. 
From another 
    angle, if we were to regard the verse as general in meaning, applying it to 
    all deeds by means of which one may draw closer to Allaah, then those who 
    are definitely entitled to zakaah would be deprived of it, because if people 
    thought that they could use their zakaah to build mosques, they would hasten 
    to do that, because the benefit of that will remain until the Day of 
    Resurrection. 
The correct 
    view is that it applies only to jihad for the sake of Allaah. 
With regard 
    to the author’s view that it applies only to the warriors, this is subject 
    to further discussion. 
The correct 
    view is that it includes the warriors and their weapons, and everything that 
    helps in jihad for the sake of Allaah; even the guides who show the way to 
    the battlefield are entitled to a share of zakaah, because Allaah says “for 
    Allaah’s cause (fi sabeel-Allaah)” and He did not say “for the mujaahideen”, 
    which indicates that what is meant is everything that has to do with jihad, 
    because that is part of jihad for the sake of Allaah. 
Is it 
    permissible to buy weapons with zakaah funds for jihad for the sake of 
    Allaah? 
According to 
    this author’s view, it is not permissible, rather it should be given to the 
    mujaahideen. 
But 
    according to the correct view, it is permissible to buy weapons with it to 
    be used for fighting for the sake of Allaah. 
Based on 
    this, the correct view is that the phrase “for Allaah’s cause (fi 
    sabeel-Allaah)” includes both the warriors and whatever they need of weapons 
    and other things. 
Al-Sharh 
    al-Mumti’, 6/241, 242 
And Allaah 
    knows best.