How to pay the zakah on a debt owed to him or by him in a place of sale.
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The questioner : In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The honorable Shaykh, a person has a place of sale and buys goods from al-Sabr Company.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : A person has a place of sale and buys goods on credit.
The Shaykh : And he buys.
The questioner : He buys the goods from the company.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : On credit, of course.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : On credit.
The Shaykh : On credit.
The questioner : On deferred payment.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So these goods, sometimes, he sells these goods to people also on credit, and a lunar year has passed over him, so how does he pay the zakah of this place of sale?
The Shaykh : As for the debt that people owe him, if it is owed by rich people who can say, "Give me my debt," and they pay it, then zakah is obligatory upon him; he pays zakah on it every year. But if he wishes, he may pay zakah on it along with his other wealth, or he may wait until he receives it and then pay zakah on it for all the years that have passed. This is if the debt is owed by whom? By a rich person. But if it is owed by a poor person, there is no zakah on it until he receives it. And when he receives it, he pays zakah on it for one year, even if many years have passed.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And as for the debt that is owed by him, the stronger position is that it does not prevent the obligation of zakah. So one who has one thousand dirhams in his hand and owes one thousand dirhams pays zakah on the one thousand that is in his hand, because he owns it. The general texts of the Book and the Sunnah indicate that whenever this nisab is found in a person's hand, it is obligatory for him to pay zakah on it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The honorable Shaykh, a person has a place of sale and buys goods from al-Sabr Company.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : A person has a place of sale and buys goods on credit.
The Shaykh : And he buys.
The questioner : He buys the goods from the company.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : On credit, of course.
The Shaykh : What?
The questioner : On credit.
The Shaykh : On credit.
The questioner : On deferred payment.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : So these goods, sometimes, he sells these goods to people also on credit, and a lunar year has passed over him, so how does he pay the zakah of this place of sale?
The Shaykh : As for the debt that people owe him, if it is owed by rich people who can say, "Give me my debt," and they pay it, then zakah is obligatory upon him; he pays zakah on it every year. But if he wishes, he may pay zakah on it along with his other wealth, or he may wait until he receives it and then pay zakah on it for all the years that have passed. This is if the debt is owed by whom? By a rich person. But if it is owed by a poor person, there is no zakah on it until he receives it. And when he receives it, he pays zakah on it for one year, even if many years have passed.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And as for the debt that is owed by him, the stronger position is that it does not prevent the obligation of zakah. So one who has one thousand dirhams in his hand and owes one thousand dirhams pays zakah on the one thousand that is in his hand, because he owns it. The general texts of the Book and the Sunnah indicate that whenever this nisab is found in a person's hand, it is obligatory for him to pay zakah on it. Yes.
The questioner : May Allah reward you with good.