Q 4: I lent some of my relatives an amount of money as a sort of loan. Their straightened conditions hindered them from paying me back; this has gone on for more than two years. Is it allowed that those who benefit from that money pay the Zakah (obligatory charity) due upon it or must I do so, or am I exempted from paying Zakah for that amount until I retrieve it? A: You must pay Zakah every year for the amounts of money you lent people unless the debtors were unable to pay you back and you do not know whether you will retrieve your money or not. In that case, you are not obliged to pay Zakah for it till you retrieve it and a Hawl (a lunar year calculated from the time a property reaches the minimum amount upon which Zakah is due) passes while it is in your possession.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions. The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta' Member Member Member Deputy Chairman Chairman Bakr Abu Zayd Salih Al-Fawzan `Abdullah ibn Ghudayyan `Abdul-`Aziz Al Al-Shaykh `Abdul-`Aziz ibn `Abdullah ibn Baz (Part No. 8; Page No. 131