First question of Fatwa no.
232
A person
lends some of his money to some of his brothers and acquaintances. He may or may not get it back. He is asking whether he has to pay Zakah (obligatory charity) on it?
A:
If the debtor is rich and the loan is a Nisab (the minimum amount on which Zakah is due), or when added to his money he would have the amount up to the Nisab, he must pay Zakah on it when he gets the money back for the years passed, whether it is a year or more. If he pays the Zakah on it before he gets it, that is fine. If the person who owes the money is not rich, he should pay zakah one year after he gets the money, even if years passed. This is one opinion reported from
Imam Ahmad. It is also the opinion of
Malik and of Shaykh
`Abdul-Rahman ibn Hasan
who said, "This opinion is preferred by Shaykh
Muhammad ibn `Abdul-Wahhab (may Allah confer mercy upon him).May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet and his family and companions!