Paying off a debt before zakah
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The second and third questions of the fatwa number ( 20451 )
Q2: A man has ten sacks of rice or corn, each sack weighing 75 kilograms. He owes a person four sacks of corn or rice, leaving him with six sacks of rice or corn. Does he owe zakah, how does he pay it, and does he pay the zakah before paying the debt or after settling the debt?
A2: First: It is obligatory for you to pay zakah on the rice or corn if it reaches the nisab. The nisab is (five wasqs), and the wasq is (sixty sa' according to the sa' of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)), and the sa' is (four full handfuls with two moderate hands). Second: The amount that must be paid out is (one-tenth) if the crop is watered by rain, rivers, and the like. It is obligatory to pay out (half of one-tenth) if the crop is watered by machines, canals, and the like. The zakah is to be paid out from the actual crop at the time of harvest, once.
What precedes is the ruling for rice or corn if it is an agricultural crop. However, if it is merchandise for trade, it is valued at the completion of the lunar year, and zakah is paid out from its value in the amount of one-quarter of one-tenth (2.5%). As for if the rice or corn was purchased for eating and storage, there is no zakah on it whatsoever, no matter how much it is or how many years pass over it. Third: It is obligatory to pay the zakah on the grains before paying the debt from them; because the obligation is tied to the time of harvest.
Q2: A man has ten sacks of rice or corn, each sack weighing 75 kilograms. He owes a person four sacks of corn or rice, leaving him with six sacks of rice or corn. Does he owe zakah, how does he pay it, and does he pay the zakah before paying the debt or after settling the debt?
A2: First: It is obligatory for you to pay zakah on the rice or corn if it reaches the nisab. The nisab is (five wasqs), and the wasq is (sixty sa' according to the sa' of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him)), and the sa' is (four full handfuls with two moderate hands). Second: The amount that must be paid out is (one-tenth) if the crop is watered by rain, rivers, and the like. It is obligatory to pay out (half of one-tenth) if the crop is watered by machines, canals, and the like. The zakah is to be paid out from the actual crop at the time of harvest, once.
What precedes is the ruling for rice or corn if it is an agricultural crop. However, if it is merchandise for trade, it is valued at the completion of the lunar year, and zakah is paid out from its value in the amount of one-quarter of one-tenth (2.5%). As for if the rice or corn was purchased for eating and storage, there is no zakah on it whatsoever, no matter how much it is or how many years pass over it. Third: It is obligatory to pay the zakah on the grains before paying the debt from them; because the obligation is tied to the time of harvest.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.