The Ruling on Zakah for Money Saved for Expenses or to Pay Off a Debt

Question:
The second question says: I work here in the Kingdom, and I have left my country in search of lawful sustenance. Praise be to Allah, I have accumulated a sum of money, which I am saving until I return to my family, who are in dire need of it. Is zakah obligatory on me for it, or not, given my family’s pressing need for it?

Answer:
If a Muslim accumulates money that reaches the nisab for zakah, and he sets it aside to pay off a debt, or for marriage, or to travel to his family, or to buy a residence, or for any other purpose, then zakah is obligatory on this money once a lunar year has passed. Setting it aside for marriage, paying off a debt, or traveling to his family does not serve as an excuse for dropping the zakah, nor is it a justification for that. This is the well-known position from the evidence of the Shari'ah and from the words of the scholars.
So you, O questioner, must pay the zakah on the money once a lunar year has passed, even if you set it aside to take it to your country to spend on your parents, or for marriage, or for other reasons. Yes.

The presenter: May Allah bless you.