Is Zakat obligatory on money saved to buy a house or a car, and is it permissible to give Zakat to the wife's sister who appears to have a high standard of living, owning gold and a house, and is the impermissibility of giving her Zakat due to her financial capability or because her brother is obligated to support her?

Funds saved to purchase a car or similar essential necessities, if they reach the nisab (threshold) and a hawl (full lunar year) passes over them, then zakat is obligatory on them. A sister is considered eligible for zakat if she is poor and has no provider. Paying zakat to her in this case is considered sadaqa (charity) and upholding kinship ties. However, it is not permissible to use zakat to cover study expenses except for students who are unable to afford these expenses, provided they are excelling and the knowledge they are acquiring is among the essential sciences for Muslims, such as fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), medicine, and engineering.