I sold my car four years ago and was saving money to buy another car. I was depositing my salary into it and withdrawing my expenses from it, but I have not yet bought the car.

The questioner : I sold my car about four years ago and was saving money to buy another car. I was depositing my salary into it and withdrawing my expenses from it, and I have not yet bought the car, given that the amount I saved has been decreasing. The question is: Is there zakah due on this money? And if there is zakah due, how do I pay the zakah for the four years that have passed? Considering that I do not remember the amount that reached the nisab for a full lunar year, please advise us, may Allah reward you.

The Shaykh : Zakah is obligatory on you for this money, even if you have set it aside to buy a car. As long as your money is in cash, zakah is due on it in any case. You must pay the zakah for all the time that has passed. The way to do this is to ask the bank at the time of zakah. You say: What is my balance in the month of Ramadan, for example, in the year 1411? What is my balance in Ramadan in the year 1412? What is my balance in Ramadan in the year 1413? What is my balance in Ramadan in the year 1414?
At that point, you will know the amount of zakah that is obligatory on you.

The questioner : May Allah bless you.