How is Zakat paid on a ‘committee’ scheme between several individuals?

Q: How is Zakat paid on a ‘committee’ scheme between several individuals? I am currently calculating my Zakat for this year and wanted to know how we deal with a ‘committee’ which is a type of loan which is interest free, where there are a number of members and each member pays a certain amount and […]

Read more...

From my Zakat amount, may I deduct rent for upcoming months that is due now or that is imminently due?

Q: From my Zakat amount, may I deduct rent for upcoming months that is due now or that is imminently due? Ones Zakat anniversary is today. He is due to pay his rent for the upcoming 3 months(Sept-Nov) in around 20 days. Demand for payment (the letter) will come in about 10 days. Can this amount […]

Read more...

What elements of my pension do I need to pay zakah on?

Q: What elements of my pension do I need to pay zakāh on? If my pensions is a “zakātable” asset then what do I need to pay the zakāt on? The entire holding (i.e. fund value) or pay zakāt on the annual contribution? Is zakāt payable on my contribution alone or mine and my employer’s […]

Read more...

Do I still have to pay zakah on my badly-performing pension fund?

Q: Do I still have to pay zakāh on my badly-performing pension fund? If someone has a fund, which they have control over where it is invested, but they still can’t liquidate or access any part of it till they are 55, then s/he has to pay zakāh on the value of the fund (not […]

Read more...

If a student has an unpaid education related loan, can his parents use their Zakah money to pay off the loan?

Q: If a student has an unpaid education related loan, can his parents use their Zakah money to pay off the loan?   الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومنه الصدق والصواب A: Firstly, for the valid discharge of Zakah one must make the recipient owner of the Zakah.  One cannot simply pay off the recipient’s debt on his behalf […]

Read more...

The 1st Ethical Zakah guide mentions Zakah cannot be given to one’s spouse. However this Hadith appears to indicate giving Zakah to ones spouse is permissible. Please can you clarify.

Q: The 1st Ethical Zakah guide mentions Zakah cannot be given to one’s spouse.   However this Hadith appears to indicate giving Zakah to one’s spouse is permissible. Please can you clarify? الجواب حامدا ومصليه ومنه الصدق والصواب A: There is a difference of opinion as to whether a wife can give Zakah to her poor husband. The position […]

Read more...

If one has given their Zakah in advance for forthcoming years and on the anniversary realises this amount was above his actual Zakah total, can one consider this surplus amount to be a Zakah payment for subsequent years?

Q: If one has given their Zakah in advance for forthcoming years and on the anniversary realises this amount was above his actual Zakah total, can one consider this surplus amount to be a Zakah payment for subsequent years?   الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومنه الصدق والصواب A: If a person has donated their Zakah in advance either […]

Read more...

Can Zakat be given to those who have been in an accident and need an emergency life saving operation?

Q. Can Zakāt be given to those who have been in an accident and need an emergency life saving operation? Can this fall under the category of ‘debtors’ as the individual needs to pay this money for the operation in order to survive? الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما ومنه الصدق والصواب A. Zakāt can be given only if […]

Read more...

Is a person who has an Islamic Home Purchase Plan able to deduct any future rental installments due to the bank from their zakatable assets?

Q:Is a person who has an Islamic Home Purchase Plan able to deduct any future rental installments due to the bank from their zakatable assets? الجواب حامدًا و مصليًا و منه الصدق و الصواب A: The client cannot deduct rental payments for future periods from his zakatable assets. Only those payments that have fallen due […]

Read more...

Can student loans be taken off as a liability for zakah purposes?

Q: Can student loans be taken off as a liability for zakāh purposes?  Is a Student Loan added to ones zakāh liability section as a whole in every zakāh year until it is paid off unlike most deferred payment loans such as mortgages, where only the coming 12 months instalments will be added in the […]

Read more...

Is it permissible to give Zakāt al Maal to a charity if it operates abroad?

Q: Is it permissible to give zakāt al maal to a charity even if it operates in other countries?   الجواب حامدا ومصليا ومسلما ومنه الصدق والصواب   A: All things being equal one should distribute one’s zakat in the immediate locality of the zakātable wealth.  Failure to do so is reprehensible but not prohibited.  However, if […]

Read more...