What is the ruling on a wealthy man who gives charity to the poor and then deducts it from his zakah when the time for paying it arrives?

Question : A wealthy man helps the weak and the poor around him, and at the end of the year he calculates the zakah and deducts the amount. That is fine.

Answer : How so? Does he intend it as zakah or not? There is no harm in it, because this is an early payment of the zakah. He may pay as much of it early as he wishes, and when the time for paying it comes, he looks at what he has already given in charity and deducts it from the obligatory zakah.