Is my zakat discharged properly?

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.

As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.

Your understanding of the above issue is correct. One of the conditions for the validity of discharging zakah is to give it to a legitimate recipient, that is, a poor and needy person. As a madrassa is not a “person”, giving zakah to a madrassa will not absolve oneself from the obligation of zakah[1].

However, usually in typical madrassas, zakah money is used to feed, clothe, and fulfill the necessities of needy students, who are legitimate recipients of zakah. We would advise you to directly speak with the Imam or Ulama (scholars) of the particular masjid, and inquire as to how exactly the money was spent in the madrassa.

And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best

Abdullah Ghadai

Student Darul Iftaa
Michigan, U.S.A

Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.