Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

i would like to ask u one thing tht is, zakaat actually end of this ramadan i didnt pay the zakaat due to crisis of money so let me know about Zakaat shall i have to pay it now bcoz somebody told me tht u have to pay same amount every month bcoz u didnt pay zakaat end of ramadan.

please clearify this in the light of quran and hadeeth 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

Answer:

Zakah only in ramadhan

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

There is absolutely no obligation upon the believers to pay their zakah dues in the month of Ramadhan or at any other specific time of the year. The reason most believers prefer to pay their full zakat dues during the month of Ramadan, is because Ramadan is a blessed and holy month, and every good deed done in the month of Ramadan has a manifold increase in the sight of Allah Subhanah as compared to deeds done in other months. But if for any reason, one wishes to pay their zakat dues in other months, it is absolutely lawful, permissible and within the limits of Shariah.

There is also no obligation upon the believers to pay their annual zakah dues in equal installments throughout the year; one is at absolute liberty to pay their zakah dues in one lump sum at any time of the calendar year, or in separate batches….whichever is convenient for them. What is of paramount importance is that one strive to pay their annual zakah dues in that calendar year.

Beloved brother, if for any reason you have not paid the obligatory zakah dues for the past year, you should fear Allah your Lord and strive to fulfill those dues as soon as you possibly can.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

Burhan