Fatwa ID: 08266

 

Answered by Maulana Sakib Shadman

 

Question:

 

 

Normally when zakat is discharged, liabilities are deducted for a month (bills, mortgage etc)

 

What if a person who intends on going for hajj and is waiting for his passport to come and before making the payment for hajj his zakat date comes.

 

So he’s hopeful of getting his passport on time so he can go for hajj but obviously not 100% sure, so can that expected hajj expense be deducted or will it not be deducted?

 

 

 

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

 

Answer:

 

When one pays his Zakat, his debts and other such liabilities are deducted from the Zakatable amount. However in this context, a debt is defined as an amount of wealth which is owed to a person or entity; as opposed to an amount of wealth which one owes in order to fulfill a religious obligation (e.g. a vow/ نَذْر, expiation/Kaffarah, or an upcoming Hajj expense).

 

Your upcoming potential Hajj expense is not considered to be a liability during the time in which your Zakat is due. It is simply a sum of money which you have set aside for an expected Hajj. The money you saved up for Hajj shall not be considered to be a debt, as it is not owed to a person nor an entity. It is an amount which you accumulated in order to fulfill your religious obligation. Hence this potential expense will not be deducted from your Zakatable wealth.

 

You will have to pay Zakat on the money which you set aside for Hajj, along with your other Zakatable wealth.

 

 

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Sakib Shadman

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

 

 

 

 

References:

 

(وَمِنْهَا الْفَرَاغُ عَنْ الدَّيْنِ) قَالَ أَصْحَابُنَا – رَحِمَهُمْ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى -: كُلُّ دَيْنٍ لَهُ مُطَالِبٌ مِنْ جِهَةِ الْعِبَادِ يَمْنَعُ وُجُوبَ الزَّكَاةِ سَوَاءٌ كَانَ الدَّيْنُ لِلْعِبَادِ كَالْقَرْضِ وَثَمَنِ الْبَيْعِ وَضَمَانِ الْمُتْلَفَاتِ وَأَرْشِ الْجِرَاحَةِ، وَسَوَاءٌ كَانَ الدَّيْنُ مِنْ النُّقُودِ أَوْ الْمَكِيلِ أَوْ الْمَوْزُونِ أَوْ الثِّيَابِ أَوْ الْحَيَوَانِ وَجَبَ بِخُلْعٍ أَوْ صُلْحٍ عَنْ دَمِ عَمْدٍ، وَهُوَ حَالٌّ أَوْ مُؤَجَّلٌ أَوْ لِلَّهِ – تَعَالَى – كَدَيْنِ الزَّكَاةِ فَإِنْ كَانَ

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ص172 – كتاب الفتاوى العالمكيرية الفتاوى الهندية – الباب الأول في تفسير الزكاة وصفتها وشرائطها – المكتبة الشاملة

 

وَلِأَنَّ قَضَاءَ الدَّيْنِ مِنَ الْحَوَائِجِ الْأَصْلِيَّةِ

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ص387 – كتاب العناية شرح الهداية بهامش فتح القدير ط الحلبي – باب إقرار المريض – المكتبة الشاملة

 

وكلُّ دينٍ لا مطالِبَ له من جهة العباد كالنذور، والكفّارات، والحجّ، لا يمنع وجوب الزكاة (٤). (خ) (٥)

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ص874 – كتاب خزانة المفتين قسم العبادات – فصل في مال التجارة – المكتبة الشاملة