An employee with a fixed salary and no other income: is zakah obligatory on him?
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The questioner : In the name of Allah.
Noble Shaykh, an employee receives a fixed salary and has no income other than this salary. Is zakah obligatory on him?
The Shaykh : If a lunar year has passed, zakah is obligatory on him. However, if, for example, his salary is one thousand riyals and he spends one thousand riyals per month, he owes no zakah, because he will certainly spend the one thousand riyals he received in the month of Muharram before the month of Safar begins, and he will spend the amount from Safar before Rabi' begins, and so on, so he has nothing left over. But if he has something left over, then zakah is obligatory on him. How does he calculate zakah on these salaries? There are two methods. The first method is to say, for example, "I received five hundred riyals in the month of Muharram, and five hundred riyals in the month of Safar," and then he pays zakah on the five hundred riyals from Muharram and the five hundred riyals from Safar. There is no doubt that this is difficult, as it requires a person to keep track of what came in during the months and wait for the completion of the lunar year, which is difficult. We see that a person should designate a specific month, the month in which he receives his salary, as the time for his zakah. For example, if he receives it in Muharram, when Muharram comes in the second year, he looks at what he has. If he has, for example, five thousand riyals, he pays zakah on the five thousand riyals, including the salary for the upcoming month of Dhul-Hijjah, because this is easier for him. It is not a problem if the lunar year for the month of Dhul-Hijjah has not completed, as it is permissible for a person to pay zakah before the completion of the lunar year. Did you understand?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : Shaykh, if there is something...
The Shaykh : Wait.
Noble Shaykh, an employee receives a fixed salary and has no income other than this salary. Is zakah obligatory on him?
The Shaykh : If a lunar year has passed, zakah is obligatory on him. However, if, for example, his salary is one thousand riyals and he spends one thousand riyals per month, he owes no zakah, because he will certainly spend the one thousand riyals he received in the month of Muharram before the month of Safar begins, and he will spend the amount from Safar before Rabi' begins, and so on, so he has nothing left over. But if he has something left over, then zakah is obligatory on him. How does he calculate zakah on these salaries? There are two methods. The first method is to say, for example, "I received five hundred riyals in the month of Muharram, and five hundred riyals in the month of Safar," and then he pays zakah on the five hundred riyals from Muharram and the five hundred riyals from Safar. There is no doubt that this is difficult, as it requires a person to keep track of what came in during the months and wait for the completion of the lunar year, which is difficult. We see that a person should designate a specific month, the month in which he receives his salary, as the time for his zakah. For example, if he receives it in Muharram, when Muharram comes in the second year, he looks at what he has. If he has, for example, five thousand riyals, he pays zakah on the five thousand riyals, including the salary for the upcoming month of Dhul-Hijjah, because this is easier for him. It is not a problem if the lunar year for the month of Dhul-Hijjah has not completed, as it is permissible for a person to pay zakah before the completion of the lunar year. Did you understand?
The questioner : Yes
The Shaykh : Very well.
The questioner : Shaykh, if there is something...
The Shaykh : Wait.