Ruling on the zakah of a debt that has not been repaid
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Q: With the praise of Allah and His help, I worked for ten years, and the result was three sums. I lent my relative a loan for a specified term, and the days pass with no hope of recovering it. The second sum is with another relative who is working with it, and years have passed without him working with this sum. And a third sum I keep for myself.
So what is the ruling on the zakah of the one that has not been repaid? And the ruling on the zakah of the trade capital that has not been worked with? And the ruling on the sum from which I have spent? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
A: It is obligatory for you to pay the zakah on the sum that is with you, and on the sum that is with your relative for trade in which he has not acted, whenever a lunar year passes over it, unless the sum that is with your relative has been spent on his needs and he is unable to return it, in which case there is no zakah on it until you receive it and a lunar year passes over it.
As for the sum with the first relative, there is a detail:
If he is wealthy and willing to pay, you must pay its zakah whenever a lunar year passes over it. There is no harm in delaying its payment until you receive it from him, then you pay its zakah for the years that have passed. However, paying its zakah every year is better and more cautious, out of fear of death or forgetfulness.
As for if he is unable to pay or is delaying, there is no zakah on you in the most correct of the scholars' opinions until you receive it, then you start a new lunar year with it; because zakah is a form of support, and support is not obligatory from wealth of which you do not know whether you will obtain it or not.
So what is the ruling on the zakah of the one that has not been repaid? And the ruling on the zakah of the trade capital that has not been worked with? And the ruling on the sum from which I have spent? Please inform us, may Allah reward you.
A: It is obligatory for you to pay the zakah on the sum that is with you, and on the sum that is with your relative for trade in which he has not acted, whenever a lunar year passes over it, unless the sum that is with your relative has been spent on his needs and he is unable to return it, in which case there is no zakah on it until you receive it and a lunar year passes over it.
As for the sum with the first relative, there is a detail:
If he is wealthy and willing to pay, you must pay its zakah whenever a lunar year passes over it. There is no harm in delaying its payment until you receive it from him, then you pay its zakah for the years that have passed. However, paying its zakah every year is better and more cautious, out of fear of death or forgetfulness.
As for if he is unable to pay or is delaying, there is no zakah on you in the most correct of the scholars' opinions until you receive it, then you start a new lunar year with it; because zakah is a form of support, and support is not obligatory from wealth of which you do not know whether you will obtain it or not.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.
