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

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

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.

Allah Ta’ala Knows Best

Mufti Ismaeel Bassa

themufti.com