Q: Each year we give zakaat to certain people or organisations. When they come to collect the zakaat the following year, they always bring along a gift e.g. diaries, calenders, pens, etc.
Are we allowed to keep these gifts and use them or will this be counted as taking benefit from one's own zakaat?
Q: If a person pays his zakaat in advance, eg 50 000. Then on the day zakaat was due he realises the amount was only 10 000 due. Can he count this 40 000 extra he gave towards the next year's zakaat?
Q: Mufti saab, a brother who owns a grocery store is asking that he gives his zakaat every year on the 15th of Ramadan. Now after calculating for example his zakaat comes up to R10000. Is it okay if he gives it before the 15th of Ramadan or does he have to give it on that day specifically?
Q: If my deceased parents have not been steadfast with zakaat, salaah and fasting due to reasons that I am not aware of, am I able to compensate for this, even if they have not mentioned it in their will? I would love my parents to be in Jannah, so how can I help them achieve this now that they have passed away?
Q: My wife has jewellery that makes zakaat compulsory upon her. Instead of her selling her jewellery to pay zakaat, can I pay zakaat on her behalf?
Q: My mother's brother is old and jobless. I gave him some money as debt, but he is unable to return it. Can I forgive his debt as zakat for the coming years?
Q: What is nisaab?
Q: What does "Zakaah can be only given to people that do not possess nisaab" mean?
Q: If a person sends zakaat money overseas to his poor relatives, and uses a money transferral service e.g. mukuru/hellopaisa, then they charge a commission.
For example, if I send R1000, then they will charge R50. In this case, will R1000 zakaat be discharged or will the R50 commission be subtracted and only R950 zakaat will be discharged?
Q: I was told to use the below fatwa as a hilah to avoid giving zakat on jewellery, however the jewellery gift by us to our own child is the same that we wish to give them on their marriage. The questions are:
1. Is this hilah genuine?
2. Allah forbid, if the future becomes difficult and the jewellery is sold for survival before the child's marriage, what should be done?
Fatwa:
It is permissible for parents to accept on behalf of their minor children. Hence, if a minor girl's mother accepts jewellery on her behalf, she will become the owner of the jewellery, regardless of whether her mother informed her about it or not. After she becomes baaligh, zakaat will be compulsory upon the jewellery. If she did not have knowledge of her mother's accepting the jewellery for her, then at the time she comes to know, she will have to discharge the zakaat for every year from the time of puberty till the present year.
And Allah Ta'ala (الله تعالى) knows best.
Answered by: Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & Approved: Mufti Ebrahim Salejee