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.

Islam encourages charitable initiatives, such as introducing a new idea to make others do good deeds that are beneficial to society. The Messenger of Allah (Peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He who introduced some good practice in Islam which was followed after him (by people) he would be assured of reward like one who followed it, without their rewards being diminished in any respect. And he who introduced some evil practice in Islam which had been followed subsequently (by others), he would be required to bear the burden like that of one who followed this (evil practice) without their's being diminished in any respect." {Transmitted by Muslim}.

It is permissible to establish a fund for collecting obligatory and voluntary charities in favor of a certain category of students; however, the following parameters must be considered:

First: The person volunteering to collect and distribute obligatory and voluntary charities is an agent acting on behalf of the givers, and an agent is in a position of trust as regards keeping and distributing these charities according to the rules of Sharia. Accordingly, obligatory charity (Zakat) is to be given to the poor female students after studying their situation, making sure that they are poor, and that the support provided by the person obliged to provide for them (father, grandfather, and the like) doesn`t suffice for their needs.

Second: Each type of charity (Obligatory and Voluntary) must be kept in a separate bank account. This is because it is prohibited to delay giving obligatory charity-after meeting its conditions stipulated in Sharia, and being able to pay it-with the intention of paying it in the form of monthly installments to the eligible female students, and whoever does this is a usurper of the poor`s right. It is stated in the Shafie book {Moghni Al-Mohtaj, Vol.2:P.129}: "Zakah must be paid to the eligible recipients at once if it meets the conditions stipulated in Sharia in this regard and the person liable for it has the ability to pay it."

As for voluntary charities, it is allowed to distribute them amongst the poor female students as monthly installments.

In conclusion, these conditions must be observed upon the establishment of the above fund, and it is allowed to collect and give the funds while observing the conditions set by the donors. And Allah the Almighty knows best.