Guidelines

Permissible excuses for delaying the payment of zakat Zakat may be delayed for an excuse as follows: 1. Delaying the zakat while seeking out the eligible poor and needy people, for example, in a country where there are few poor people, or where there are many people who claim poverty, or where there few Muslims, so the zakat payer delays while searching for the poor Muslim. 2. Delaying for the purpose of calculating zakat, as if the payer owns a lot of money, or if his money is represented in trade offers and needs to know their market value and so on 3. Delaying in payment waiting for a poor relative or neighbor, or most needy 4.4 Zakat Payment in Advance Zakat may be paid in advance by paying it before the lapse of one year, provided that the payer shall own the quorum. For example, the zakat payer owns the quorum on the first day of Safar, and in Rabi’ al-Thani, he finds one of his poor relatives who is in need for money, so he may pay his zakat in advance to him. However, the following zakat will not be due on him until the first of Safar of next year It is permissible to pay zakat for two years or less in advance, but may not be paid for more than two years. For example, we are in 1444H, so zakat payer may pay his zakat for 1444H and 1445H only. The evidence: Al-’Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), the uncle of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), asked his permission to hasten his alms before it was due, so the Prophet gave him permission [narrated by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah] In another narration, the Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered Al-Abbas to pay zakat for two years in advance [narrated by al-Qassim Ibn Salam in Kitab al-Amwal] 5.Zakat Spending In His Holy Book, Allah Almighty specified the zakat spending channels. Allah says: (Zakat expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [Zakat] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise) [At-Tawba: 60]. Zakat may not be paid for other than such eight categories. They are as follows: 1. The poor. 2. The needy. 3. Those employed to collect Zakat. 4. Whom paid zakat to bring their hearts together for Islam. 5. Freeing slaves. 6. Those in debts. 7. Who goes out for the cause of Allah 8. The travelers In compliance to the above, the Royal Order was issued to disburse the Zakat funds collected by ZATCA to the Social Insurance and Empowerment Agency at the Ministry of Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development. Zakat may be paid for one type of zakat, such as the poor, and to one person as well, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) said to Salamah ibn Sakhr (may Allah be pleased with him): (Go to the collector of charity of Banu Zuraiq, and tell him to give it to you) [narrated by Abu Dawud, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah] Zakat may not be paid for other than such eight categories, such as charities, mosques, hospitals, etc. as zakat spending channels are specified, and may not be paid for other channels. Zakat is better to be paid to relatives who are eligible, who the zakat payer is not responsible for their subsistence, as the Prophet (peace be upon him) said: (Charity given to the poor is charity, and that given to a relative is a charity and upholding the ties of kinship) [narrated by Al-Nasa’i, at-Tirmidhi and Ibn Majah] Website: APP: ZAKATY: IOS Android امـسـح هـــــذا الـكــود للاطّ لاع عـلــــى آخر تحديـث لـهــذا المستنـد وكـافة المستنــــدات المـنـشـورة zatca.gov.sa أو تـفضل بزيـارة الموقع الإلكتروني