When is zakah paid? Will you give detailed information about when to give zakah?

When is zakah paid? Will you give detailed information about when to give zakah?

Dear Brother / Sister,

Zakah for goods that are subject to zakah can be given any time.

According to the strong and soundest views, zakah for the goods and money that are subject to zakah are paid as soon as one year passes. It is not permissible to delay it; it is a sin.

According to another view, zakah is fard but it is not fard to pay zakah as soon as one year passes. It can be given later. However, if a person dies before he pays zakah, he becomes a sinner. However, this view is weak.

A person who obtains goods or money that are enough to make him rich needs to write down that date based on the lunar calendar. For instance, if he becomes rich on the third of the month of Rajab, he pays zakah if he has nisab amount of goods or money on the third of Rajab the next year. He does not wait for Ramadan. 

It is permissible and better to pay zakah before its due time. It is also permissible to pay zakah for the year(s) to come. If a person calculates his goods and money wrongly and pays two gold coins for zakah instead of one gold coin and realizes it after paying it, he can regard the extra one gold coin as zakah for the next year.

The following is stated in a hadith:

"Hurry to give zakah."(Ibn Majah)

Is zakah given only in the month of Ramadan?

Every rich person gives zakah in different months and days. They do not have to wait for Ramadan. If he became rich on the twenty-third of Shawwal, he gives zakah on the twenty-third of Shawwal the next year. He can give it in Ramadan before Shawwal comes. However, he needs to calculate again on the twenty-third of Shawwal. If he gave less than what was necessary, he needs to give the missing amount; if he gave more, the extra amount would be nafilah. That is, it is permissible to pay zakah before its due time but it is necessary to calculate again on its due day.

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