Fatwa ID: 05469

Answered by: Maulana Sibghat Ullah

Question:

My question is that when giving zakat. Do we give according to the Islamic year or the English year? Also if a person totally forgets to give zakat and then he remembers after the due date has passed is he a sinner and when that individual does give zakat does he give it according to the currency that he possesses at that time or at the time the zakat was due? 

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

Answer:

Zakat should be paid once every year. It’s due every year [i] or from the day your wealth exceeds the nisab amount. Zakat is given on the lunar year and not the solar year.[ii]

Nisab: 

It is the threshold to see the eligibility of a person who can pay or receive zakah. It is 87.48 grams of gold and 612.36 grams of silver or wealth equal to its amount.[iii]

The person will be sinful. Since from the due date, the obligation of paying zakat starts until the following date of the next lunar year. The advice will be to fulfill the previous payments and seek forgiveness to Allah; The All-Forgiving and Most Merciful.[iv]

Only Allah knows best.

Written by Maulana Sibghat Ullah

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham 

[i] Radul Mukhtar Kitab uz Zakat Vol 3, Maktabat ul Waheediya

اوسببها (الزكوة) مِلك نصاب حولى تامٌ

[ii] Radul Mukhtar Kitab uz Zakat Vol 3, Maktabat ul Waheediya

وحولها (أي الزكوة) قمريّ لا شمسي

[iii] Fatawa Usmania, Vol 3, Page 310, Al Asr Academy, Peshawar

[iv] Radul Mukhtar Kitab uz Zakat Vol 3, Maktabat ul Waheediya

(وقيل فوري) أي واجب على الفور (وعليه الفتوى) كما في شرح الوهبانية (فيأثم بتأخيرها) بلا عذر (وترد شهادته)