Accelerating the Payment of Debts: Between Deceit, Trickery, and Evading the Payment of Zakah

The questioner : This is perhaps the last question on the topic of trade. For example, a person arranges his affairs so that at the end of every year, or every Ramadan, he has no debt remaining. He organizes this system so that when he calculates his wealth, he has nothing to pay zakah on, escaping from the zakah. Whatever one might call it, but is this permissible, O Shaykh?

The Shaykh : I do not see anything [wrong with it]:

The questioner : ... You cannot calculate your affairs unless ... .

The questioner : He is saying: He arranges his situation from the beginning of Ramadan, which is the time he pays zakah, so that he never has any debt. Let us assume he has a debt, and through this period he eliminates ... ? .

The Shaykh : No, the intention is looked at. Why did he make this arrangement? To get out of the zakah? No.

The questioner : Yes, it is the opposite.

The Shaykh : To get out of the zakah? .

The questioner : So it is clear, O Shaykh, yes ... O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : Never mind, there is a difference here. You intend to get out of the zakah by paying your debts before the month of Ramadan. Do you intend to use a trick to evade the zakah? .

The questioner : No trick, O Shaykh.

The Shaykh : You and Adnan agree now? .

The questioner : ... I said: I will not pay zakah on the wealth ... .

The questioner : I mean, I do not want to expand on the topic of zakah and such, I want to lighten my burden.

The Shaykh : There is a difference.

The questioner : In the end, Ramadan ... and Allah willing, it will come out with me, and I will pay zakah on it, that is all:

The questioner : We ... he wants to pay what is actually due on him, if ... fifteen.

The Shaykh : Professor, may Allah reward you, there is a difference between a person who pays zakah before its time while his mind is free of the debts he owes, and a person who wants to pay zakah before its time so that he can pay his debts before their time in order to get out of the zakah. There is a difference, a very clear difference.
The Shaykh : Now, we have in the hadith that al-Abbas, the Prophet's uncle, paid zakah in advance for two years. What is your opinion, is this permissible or not permissible? It is permissible. As long as the Lawgiver has permitted it, it is not like the prayer before its time. Rather, hastening in good is a generosity of spirit. He may take pride in having paid this zakah afterwards.