If the lessor knows that the lessee’s money is from haram (forbidden) sources, is he permitted to take it and pay its zakah?

The questioner:
May Allah reward you. Honorable Shaykh, with us is our brother 'Abd al-Ilah from Riyadh. Go ahead, 'Abd al-Ilah. Hello, peace be upon you. And upon you be peace. Raise your voice, please. Ask the Shaykh. Go ahead. Some people rented a house, and the money for this house is not halal (lawful). So how do they pay its zakah? They want to pay its zakah; how do they pay it? Honorable Shaykh, these people rented a house with money that is not halal. How does the one who took this money pay its zakah?

The Shaykh:
Yes. He says that the one who received this money from this rental. He said.

The questioner:
He says: Honorable Shaykh, they rented a house, and this money is not halal. How does the one who took the money, the owner of the house, pay zakah on this money when it is not halal?

The Shaykh:
If the owner of the house knows that it is not halal and that it is haram (forbidden), then it is not permissible for him to take it. He is asking about the zakah; he is asking about taking it. It is not permissible to take haram (forbidden) money when one knows it is haram (forbidden). However, if he did not know it was haram (forbidden), he takes it as rent or otherwise as rent. If a lunar year has passed since the contract, the rental contract, and it has reached the nisab (minimum threshold for zakah), he pays zakah on it by giving one-quarter of a tenth, two and a half percent.