Is it permissible for the master to pay his zakah to his mukatab (a slave who has contracted to buy his freedom)?

Question : It is permissible for the master to pay his zakah to his mukatab, because in terms of financial dealings, the mukatab is like a stranger. It is also permissible for the mukatab to return it to the master, because he receives it as payment for his debt, making him similar to a creditor. The mukatab is not to be given more than this.

Answer : For example, if a man writes a contract for his slave for five thousand, with half due after six months and the other half after six months, and he gives his zakah to this slave, and the slave returns it to him as payment, we say this is permissible and there is no harm in it, just like a creditor. That is, it is as if a person had a poor creditor, and the debtor gave him dirhams to settle the debt; there is no harm in that, provided there is no prior agreement. If there is a prior agreement, then it is not permissible.