Q 2: I have a store that I opened in 11/4. After the passing of a Hawl (one lunar year calculated from the time a property reaches the minimum amount upon which Zakah is due) on the evening of 11/4, I started an inventory of the commodities found in the store, warehouses, and the cash capital with me or deposited in the bank. After calculating the due Zakah (obligatory charity), I set it aside and stop using it, even when I need money I take a loan but will not use the money of Zakah. Then, during the month of Ramadan, I distributed it. As for the way of paying Zakah on commodities, I take some foodstuffs from my store for the same price they are sold and give them to the poor or the charitable organizations of Ha'il. However, some people say that the Zakah must be paid at the time when it is due. But I can not identify the proper legal recipient who deserves it except in Ramadan when there are plenty of them. Am I blamed for that? A: The Zakah should be paid at the time when it is due upon the completion of the Hawl of the money on which Zakah is due. It is impermissible to delay the payment of Zakah. It must be paid to the poor or to a trustworthy person who undertakes the distribution of it on your behalf. It is not acceptable to pay it to the charitable societies unless they are trusted and give pledge to deliver the Zakah to (Part No. 8; Page No. 75