How the creditor pays zakah on his money owed to him
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How do you pay zakah on the following: my wealth that is in the possession of others, such as debts, which I have not yet received, and some of which have been outstanding for four years or more?
Answer: If the debts are with people who are wealthy and, whenever you ask for them, they pay you, then you must pay zakah on them every year, on this condition: if they are with wealthy people who will hand them over to you whenever you want to collect them, then they are like a trust in their hands, so you must pay zakah on them every year. However, if the debts are with people who are unable to pay or who are delaying payment, and you cannot obtain the money except with great effort—if you want it, they do not give it to you except with effort and persistent follow-up and the like—then zakah is not obligatory, zakah is not obligatory on these moneys; because they are not in your possession, and they are not under your control. So when you receive them, you pay the zakah on them in the future. And if you pay zakah on them for one year, as some scholars have said, that is good, but it is not obligatory. The only obligation is that you pay zakah on them in the future when a lunar year has passed after you have received them.
So the result is that debtors fall into three categories:
The first is a wealthy person who pays. You must pay the zakah on the money he has; because it is like a trust.
The second is a debtor who is unable to pay. For him, zakah is not obligatory on the money he has until he hands it over to you, and until a lunar year has passed after you have received it.
The third is a debtor who delays payment, and you cannot obtain the money from him except with effort and persistent follow-up. For him, you do not rule that the money he has is like the money you have; no, zakah is not obligatory on you until you receive it; because some of those who delay payment may be more severe than those who are unable to pay, and what they have is further away than what the unable-to-pay have. Yes.
Answer: If the debts are with people who are wealthy and, whenever you ask for them, they pay you, then you must pay zakah on them every year, on this condition: if they are with wealthy people who will hand them over to you whenever you want to collect them, then they are like a trust in their hands, so you must pay zakah on them every year. However, if the debts are with people who are unable to pay or who are delaying payment, and you cannot obtain the money except with great effort—if you want it, they do not give it to you except with effort and persistent follow-up and the like—then zakah is not obligatory, zakah is not obligatory on these moneys; because they are not in your possession, and they are not under your control. So when you receive them, you pay the zakah on them in the future. And if you pay zakah on them for one year, as some scholars have said, that is good, but it is not obligatory. The only obligation is that you pay zakah on them in the future when a lunar year has passed after you have received them.
So the result is that debtors fall into three categories:
The first is a wealthy person who pays. You must pay the zakah on the money he has; because it is like a trust.
The second is a debtor who is unable to pay. For him, zakah is not obligatory on the money he has until he hands it over to you, and until a lunar year has passed after you have received it.
The third is a debtor who delays payment, and you cannot obtain the money from him except with effort and persistent follow-up. For him, you do not rule that the money he has is like the money you have; no, zakah is not obligatory on you until you receive it; because some of those who delay payment may be more severe than those who are unable to pay, and what they have is further away than what the unable-to-pay have. Yes.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.