Chapter on Hastening Zakat and Delaying It Beyond the Times in Which It Becomes Obligatory

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammad, from Hariz, from Umar ibn Yazid, who said: I (narrator) said to Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “A man has wealth with him; does he pay zakat on it when half the year has passed?” Imam عليه السلام said: “No, but rather until a year passes over it and it becomes due upon him. No one may perform a prayer except at its time, and likewise zakat. And no one fasts the month of Ramadan except in its month, except as a make-up, and every obligation is only performed when it becomes due.”

Hammad, from Hariz, from Zurarah, who said: I (narrator) said to Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “Does a man pay zakat on his wealth when one third of the year has passed?” Imam عليه السلام said: “No. Do you perform the first prayer before midday?”

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub, from Yaqub ibn Yazid, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Muawiyah ibn Ammar, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) said to Imam عليه السلام: “A man upon whom zakat becomes due in the month of Ramadan, so he delays it until Muharram.” Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no harm.” He (narrator) said: “I asked: ‘But it does not become due except in Muharram, so he hastens it in the month of Ramadan.’” Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no harm.”

And from him, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from al-Husayn ibn Uthman, from a man, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, said: I (narrator) asked Imam عليه السلام about ‘a man to whom a needy person comes, so he gives him from his zakat at the beginning of the year.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “If he is needy, then there is no harm.”

Sa’ad ibn Abdullah, from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, from Jafar ibn Muhammad ibn Yunus, from Hammad ibn Uthman, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no harm in hastening zakat by two months and delaying it by two months.”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, from some of our companions, from Abu Said al-Mukari, from Abu Basir, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) asked Imam عليه السلام about ‘a man who hastens his zakat before the due time.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “When eight months have passed, then there is no harm.”

Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Mahbub, from Ahmad, from his father, from Ibn Abi Umayr, from Ibn Muskan, from al-Ahwal: (Imam عليه السلام was asked) regarding ‘a man who hastened the zakat of his wealth, then the one who was given became well-off before the beginning of the year.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “The giver repeats the zakat.”

And Muhammad ibn Yaqub narrated this narration from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, and Muhammad ibn Ismail, from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, all from Ibn Abi Umayr, from al-Ahwal: Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, (narrated) the like of the first (hadith.117).

Sa’ad ibn Abdullah, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from al-Husayn ibn Said, from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd, from Abdullah ibn Sinan, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him: Imam عليه السلام was asked regarding ‘a man who takes out his zakat, then distributes part of it, while some remains, seeking the proper places for it, and there is between its beginning and its end three months.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no harm.”

And from him, from Abu Jafar, from al-Abbas ibn Maruf, from al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Faddal, from Yunus ibn Yaqub, who said: I (narrator) said to Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “My zakat becomes due upon me for a month; is it proper for me to withhold something from it, fearing that someone who asks me may come to me, so that it may be a reserve with me?” Imam عليه السلام said: “When the year has passed, then take it out from your wealth and do not mix it with anything, and give it however you wish.” He (narrator) said: “I asked: ‘Then if I write it down and record it, is that valid for me?’” Imam عليه السلام said: “Yes, it will not harm you.”

Al-Husayn ibn Said, from Muhammad ibn Abi Umayr, from the one who informed him, from Durust ibn Abi Mansur, from a man, from Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, that he said: (Imam عليه السلام was asked) ‘regarding zakat, a man sends it to a town other than his own town’. Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no harm in sending a third or a quarter.”

And from him, from Ibrahim ibn Abi Ishaq, from Abdullah ibn Hammad al-Ansari, from Aban ibn Uthman, from Yaqub ibn Shuayb al-Haddad, from the righteous servant عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: I (narrator) said to Imam عليه السلام: “A man from among us is in an isolated land; what should he do with the zakat of his wealth?” Imam عليه السلام said: “He places it among his brothers and the people of his wilayah.” So I (narrator) asked: “Then if none of them is present with him there?” Imam عليه السلام said: “He sends it to them.” I asked: “Then if he does not find anyone to carry it to them?” Imam عليه السلام said: “He gives it to one who does not show hostility (la yansib).” I asked: “Then others besides them?” Imam عليه السلام said: “There is nothing for others besides them except stone.”

And from him, from Abdullah ibn Jafar and others, from Ahmad ibn Hamzah, who said: I asked Abu al-Hasan al-Thalith عليه السلام (the Third), about ‘a man who takes his zakat out from one town to another town and spends it among his brothers. Is that permissible?’ Imam عليه السلام said: “Yes.”

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammad ibn Uthman, from Hariz, from Abu Basir, from Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, who said: Imam عليه السلام said: “When a man takes zakat out from his wealth, then names it for a people, and it is lost, or sends it to them and it is lost, then there is nothing upon him.”

And from him, from Muhammad ibn Yahya, from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from Ibn Mahbub, from Jamil ibn Salih, from Bukayr ibn Ayan, who said: I (narrator) asked Abu Ja’far عليه السلام, peace be upon him, about ‘a man who sends his zakat, and it is stolen or lost.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “There is nothing upon him.”

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammad, from Hariz, from Muhammad ibn Muslim, who said: I (narrator) said to Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him: “A man sent the zakat of his wealth so that it would be distributed, and it was lost; is he liable for it until it is distributed?” Imam عليه السلام said: “If he finds a place for it and does not give it, then he is liable for it until he gives it. But if he does not find anyone to whom he can give it, and he sends it to its people, then there is no liability upon him, because it has gone out of his hand. And likewise, the executor who is appointed by will is liable for what is handed over to him if he finds its owner, the one whom he was commanded to hand it over to. But if he does not find him, then there is no liability upon him.”

Muhammad ibn Yaqub, from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammad, from Hariz, from Zurarah, who said: I (narrator) asked Abu Abdillah عليه السلام, peace be upon him, about ‘a man to whom a brother of his sent zakat so that he would distribute it, and it was lost.’ Imam عليه السلام said: “There is no liability upon the messenger, nor upon the one who pays it.” So I (narrator) asked: “Then if he does not find people entitled to it, and it spoils and changes, is he liable for it?” Imam عليه السلام said: “No. But if he knows people entitled to it, and it perishes or spoils, then he is liable for it from the time he delayed it.”