Is it permissible to pay zakah early, and is it permissible to pay part of it early?
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : This questioner, Abu Yasser, says: Honorable Shaykh, if I have zakah that becomes due in the month of Dhul-Hijjah, am I allowed to pay it in the month of Ramadan, in this blessed month?
The Shaykh : The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have mentioned that it is permissible for a person to pay his zakah early, within the limit of two years. If the questioner’s zakah becomes due in Dhul-Hijjah and he wants to pay it in Ramadan, there is no harm in that. However, if the poor are in greater need in Dhul-Hijjah than in Ramadan, he should not pay it early in this case, because the purpose of zakah is to benefit the poor. If that is the purpose, he should choose the time when the need is greatest, especially since the time of need is the time when the zakah becomes obligatory, meaning the time when it must be paid. But if the zakah becomes obligatory, meaning it must be paid, it is not permissible for him to delay it to another time, unless there is an obstacle to paying it, such as an inability to do so, for example. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah bless you,
The questioner : He has another point. This questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, if I pay half of it in Ramadan and the rest in Dhul-Hijjah, is there any harm in that?
The Shaykh : There is no harm in that. That is, it is permissible for a person to pay part of his zakah early and delay the rest until the time for payment arrives.
The Shaykh : The scholars (may Allah have mercy on them) have mentioned that it is permissible for a person to pay his zakah early, within the limit of two years. If the questioner’s zakah becomes due in Dhul-Hijjah and he wants to pay it in Ramadan, there is no harm in that. However, if the poor are in greater need in Dhul-Hijjah than in Ramadan, he should not pay it early in this case, because the purpose of zakah is to benefit the poor. If that is the purpose, he should choose the time when the need is greatest, especially since the time of need is the time when the zakah becomes obligatory, meaning the time when it must be paid. But if the zakah becomes obligatory, meaning it must be paid, it is not permissible for him to delay it to another time, unless there is an obstacle to paying it, such as an inability to do so, for example. Yes.
The presenter : May Allah bless you,
The questioner : He has another point. This questioner says: Honorable Shaykh, if I pay half of it in Ramadan and the rest in Dhul-Hijjah, is there any harm in that?
The Shaykh : There is no harm in that. That is, it is permissible for a person to pay part of his zakah early and delay the rest until the time for payment arrives.
Source
قناة «فضيلة الشيخ محمد بن صالح العثيمين»، 800- هل يجوز تعجيل الزكاة وهل يجوز تعجيل قسم منها؟/سؤال على الهاتف 📞 /ابن عثيمين — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.