What do the noble ulamā say regarding this that is it necessary to pay Zakāt in the month of Rajab al-Murajjab or should it be given in the month of Ramadān?
بسم اللہ الرحمن الرحیم
الجواب بعون الملک الوھاب اللھم ھدایۃ الحق والصواب
Zakāt is not connected with the noble month of Ramadān nor the month of Rajab al Murajjab. Rather it becomes necessary to pay Zakāh on the completion of the lunar year. This means that when you become Sāhib e Nisāb (possessor of the zakatable threshold of wealth) and then a lunar year passes over your wealth the payment of Zakāt becomes fard upon you regardless of which month that is. Delaying its payment is not permissible and is a sin. For example, someone becomes Sāhib e Nisāb at 10am on 5th Shawwāl al-Mukarram and he is still Sāhib e Nisāb the same date the following year then the payment of Zakāt is fard upon him. Therefore, it is fard upon him to extract his Zakāt at this time and the one who delays in doing so is a sinner. Likewise, if a person became Sāhib e Nisāb in Rajab or Ramadān then that is the month that will be in consideration.
However, there is no obstacle in extracting and paying Zakāt before that month like in the example of the one upon whom it is fard to pay Zakāh in Shawwāl al-Mukarram, if he wants to pay it in Ramadān, that is perfectly fine. In fact, the one who acts upon a fard in Ramadān is given 70 times the reward. For this reason before the completion of a person’s lunar Zakāt year if he/she pays it in Ramadān to earn greater reward then this is a good thing.
However, if someone’s lunar Zakāt year completes in Rajab or Sha’bān and he/she thinks, ‘Ramadān is arriving in one or two months time I will pay it in Ramadān’, then doing this is impermissible, rather it will be necessary to pay it immediately on the completion of the lunar year.
الله أعلم عز و جل و رسوله أعلم صلى الله تعالى عليه وآله و سلم
Answered by Abū Hudhayfah Muhammad Shafīq al-Attārī al-Madanī
Affirmed by: Muftī Abū al-Hasan Fudayl Ridā al-Attārī
Translated by Ustādh Ibrar Shafi
Dār al-Iftā Ahl al-Sunnah (Da’wat e Islami)
Read the original Urdu answer here: [Q-ID0672] In which month must Zakah be given? Is it in Ramadan?
