Zakaat

Q: Is is permissible to discharge zakaat of gold and money before one's particular discharging zakat date?

Q: I have to pay zakat for the previous year on some date in January and sometime ago I lost some of my gold. They were misplaced and one top went into the gutter. So do I need to pay zakat of the prev year on january for the misplaced items and what about the one which is gone into the gutter?

Q: I gave a needy person some charity money for construction of his house. Later on, can I make the niyyat of zakaat for that money? Will my zakaat be discharged in this way?

Q: I am a married woman. I work from home giving extra lessons. I have loaned most of my savings money to family members. (interest free)

Do I need to pay zakaat on this money that I have loaned them?

Since I do not have much savings left; if I cannot afford the zakaat amount; will I have to sell my jewellery from my mother and my wedding jewellery to pay it?

Q: I gave a few thousands as a loan to someone and did not tell him that I had no intention of taking back. Please tell me:

1. Can I inform him not to pay me back?

2. Can I deduct that amount from my due zakat?

3. Should I inform him that it was zakat?

4. When I was giving him the loan, I had no intention of cutting it from my zakat. 

Q: I have a partner who has debts that needs to be paid off, instead of me giving my zakaat away to someone needy, could I give him that money to help him pay his debts?

Q: I want to know about urdu word "nazar e muyyan", people sacrifice animals if they are ill, or calamity stricken and want to get out of difficulties.

Note: This is done without any commitment. There is another type of commitment that if I succeed I will spend such and such on the poor. I am asking about the 1st type. Does it have any relavance. If that is true, can I spend money because I cannot sacrifice an animal because of living in a foreign place?   

Q: I have some labourers working in my warehouse. They are poor people and most of the time they are unable to make ends meet. They own small houses. Can I give them zakaat?

Q: A maid recently started coming to our house. Apparently she seems needy. I have asked her about her possessions and she says that she doesn't have any gold/silver and neither do they have any saving. Can I give her zakat? I can not go and investigate myself, will it be sufficient to rely on what she says?

Q: Is watering plants a form of sadaqah? 

Is feeding wild birds also a form of sadaqah? (Wild birds that come to our garden)