Discharging one's zakaat late

Q: Regarding Zakat Al-maal, what is the ruling on one who pays this late, like a day after his anniversary? Is there any sin on him? Because he was trying to find a suitable charity that he trusts, for the imam he was used to giving his zakat Al-Maal to was somewhat dubious in the end. This caused him to be late in paying his Zakat, while he was trying to find a suitable cause. So what is the ruling on this, and on the one who pays this late out of
laziness? What happens to his reward in both cases?

Learning how to play musical instruments

Q: I want to know if it is permissible for a Muslim child to learn to play a musical instrument such as the organ (electric piano) through classes at home or at a special centre. There is much talk of how music stimulates creativity brain growth and so on. With this in mind would it be haram to permit him to learn? We don't generally listen to music as a family but sometimes we watch (clean) movies or cartoons that have music in them.
Sometimes our son comes home from school and requests a certain song that he heard on the bus or his classmates singing to be played and we oblige by playing the song a few times on the computer. Is this permissible? Also what about allowing small children to listen to nursery rhymes and Islamic songs which have clean lyrics but also music in them - can they do this?

Zodiac signs

Q:

  1. Is it ok to read the Zodiac signs without believing in it firmly. Zodiac signs tell us about some things in general. Will this be permissible or will this be like going to a soothsayer?
  2. Is it permissible to wear stones or pearls? People say that they are a source of peace.