It is not permissible to pay zakat by post-dated checks

The chief mufti and director of the Fatwa Department in Dubai, Dr. Ahmed Abdulaziz Al-Haddad, confirmed that it is not permissible to pay zakat on money by post-dated checks, pointing out the necessity of paying zakat on time, especially since some people who pay zakat and alms pay it by post-dated checks and in convenient installments.

He explained that “if zakat is due, it is not permissible to postpone it, and deferred checks and installments are not permissible unless the time for zakat has come, and a charitable organization is granted a deferred check until the time when zakat is due, and there is no objection to that, especially since the association disburses it to the beneficiaries when it is collected at the time specified for zakat. This is not considered a postponement in this case, but rather a rush to issue checks for accounting and financial purposes, and this is permissible according to Sharia law.”

Al-Haddad said, “It is not permissible for the charitable person to leave those who are obligated to support him and give alms to others, especially philanthropists who are accustomed to giving alms and donating to charitable organizations, and as a result of the global financial crisis and the deterioration of their financial conditions, they have begun to give alms and fall short in meeting the needs of themselves and their families. In effect, ‘No one has a voluntary prayer even He performs the obligatory prayer.” In a hadith on the authority of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, he said (It is enough sin for a man to waste what he sustains), and in a narration (It is enough sin for a person to be withheld from someone who has his power.)

He pointed out that “charity can only be done out of wealth, but as for himself, he has the right to give preference to others over himself, and that is part of generosity and rejecting miserliness, which are among the most prominent characteristics of people of faith. Whoever is willing to make his own fortune for others, that is from his grace and goodness, and it is evidence of love and brotherhood of faith.” ».

Al-Haddad explained that “the correct conditions for paying zakat are four, including that the money reaches a quorum, which is 85 grams of gold, or its amount in cash or trade goods, and that a full year has passed for the money after it reaches a quorum, in addition to that the money be owned by the person paying the zakat, so what is owned in general is Such as public endowments, the funds of associations and public benefit institutions, or the funds of the treasury, zakat is not required, in addition to the ability to dispose of the money, for example frozen and usurped funds. Zakat is not required on the lost property called dhamar money except when one has possession of it and it must be paid zakat for one year.”

Pointing out that “general charity has no conditions, so it is valid for a little and a lot, from the rich and the poor, from zakat money, and other things.”

The Director of the Red Crescent Authority’s branch in Dubai, Mohammed Abdullah Al Zarouni, revealed that “some of the Authority’s benefactors and regular donors have resorted to different methods to disburse alms and zakat funds, through post-dated checks and late installments, instead of cash amounts due to the deterioration of their financial conditions due to the global financial crisis.” Pointing out that “the Authority does not return donations and charity provided by benefactors, to meet the needs of the poor and needy and provide charitable assistance to them, in light of An increase in cases and poor families within the country, as the Authority is studying about 250 requests for assistance from families and cases with limited incomes, especially since the Red Crescent disburses aid to citizens and residents and does not grant aid to holders of visit visas.”

Al-Razouni pointed out that “the Authority provides many ways and means of donating to its various projects and programmes, and receiving charitable donations from benefactors, including online donations, financial donation collection sites, one-time contribution vouchers, as well as monthly deduction vouchers, direct deposit in banks and banks, and letters. SMS, which is carried out in coordination with the Emirates Telecommunications Corporation (Etisalat) and the Integrated Telecommunications Company (Du), provided that the donor adds the amount to be donated to the donor’s monthly phone bill or It is deducted directly from the balance of the phone from which the message is sent, if the phone has a prepaid card system. Pointing out that “the Authority has a network of donation sites spread across all cities and emirates of the country, numbering 10 sites, and supervised by representatives specialized in serving benefactors and receiving donations.”