Jamiat KZNJamiatul Ulama KZN

Intending Zakaat for an unpaid loan

· 23 Rabiʻ II 1437 AH1 min readEnglish
Fiqhzakat

Question

Can I make an intention of Zakaat for a loan that I had given to a poor person five years ago?

Answer

A.For a person’s Zakaat to be discharged, it is necessary for a person to make an intention of Zakaat at the time of discharging it and not afterwards. (Fathul Qadeer 2/170) Hence, if a creditor had given a loan to his debtor (a Zakaat recipient), the creditors Zakaat will not be discharged if his intention was of a loan and not of Zakaat.

In such a case, a person cannot discharge his Zakaat that was intended as a loan and not of Zakaat.

And Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Answered by
Mufti Ismaeel Bassa
Checked by
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
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