He kept his money in a box for five years and did not pay
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Fatwa No. ( 21548 )
Q: My father passed away a month ago, and he left behind a sum of money, approximately
(180,000 riyals). Our mother told us that five years ago he set up a box with her in which he would collect money, until it reached this amount, and he did not pay the zakah from it. We have determined this period by the marriage of our younger brother in 1416 AH, because our father (may Allah have mercy on him) spent everything he had on this marriage, and then he set up a box in which he would put whatever money came to him. The question: First: How do we pay the zakah for these five years, given that the amount of money for each year is not known? Second: How is our father’s liability cleared for the period before these five years, since he was not paying zakah and was counting his money among people as zakah? I ask your eminence to answer these two questions.
A : If it is established that your father did not pay zakah on the mentioned amount, it is obligatory for you to calculate the zakah for all the years that have passed and to pay it immediately, in order to clear his liability. This is done by paying one-quarter of one-tenth of the remaining money for each year, after deducting the zakah of each preceding year; because it is a debt owed to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and a pillar of Islam, and his liability and yours will not be cleared except by paying it to those who are entitled to it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: My father passed away a month ago, and he left behind a sum of money, approximately
(180,000 riyals). Our mother told us that five years ago he set up a box with her in which he would collect money, until it reached this amount, and he did not pay the zakah from it. We have determined this period by the marriage of our younger brother in 1416 AH, because our father (may Allah have mercy on him) spent everything he had on this marriage, and then he set up a box in which he would put whatever money came to him. The question: First: How do we pay the zakah for these five years, given that the amount of money for each year is not known? Second: How is our father’s liability cleared for the period before these five years, since he was not paying zakah and was counting his money among people as zakah? I ask your eminence to answer these two questions.
A : If it is established that your father did not pay zakah on the mentioned amount, it is obligatory for you to calculate the zakah for all the years that have passed and to pay it immediately, in order to clear his liability. This is done by paying one-quarter of one-tenth of the remaining money for each year, after deducting the zakah of each preceding year; because it is a debt owed to Allah (Mighty and Majestic) and a pillar of Islam, and his liability and yours will not be cleared except by paying it to those who are entitled to it. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.