The ruling on paying zakah in installments over the course of the year

The questioner : The questioner says: If a man has wealth whose zakah becomes due in Ramadan, is it obligatory for him to pay the entire zakah in Ramadan, or is it permissible for him to give it to the poor in installments over the course of the year?

The Shaykh : Yes, it is obligatory for him to pay it immediately. It is not permissible for him to give it to the poor over the course of the year unless he is delaying it in order to seek out the eligible recipients, meaning that he was not able to find the eligible recipients in Ramadan, but he finds them one by one, two by two, and so on. If he is delaying it in order to ensure that it reaches the eligible recipients, then there is no harm in that. The common case is that a person does not delay it except for this reason or something similar to it. If the delay is for this reason, then there is no harm.