What about the Zakat that I have not paid over the years?

Ibn ‘Abbas (Allah be pleased with both of them) reported: A woman came to the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) and said: My mother has died, and fasts of a month are due from her. Thereupon he said: Don’t you see that if debt was due from her, would you not pay it? She said: Yes (I would pay on her behalf). Thereupon he said: The debt of Allah deserves its payment more than (the payment of anyone else) (Muslim, Book 6, No. 2554).

Thus, scholars deduce from the above hadith that any missed Zakat must be paid immediately to the deserving.

Note: This certainly applies to a person who is still alive and has outstanding Zakat from precious years. In the case of a dead person, the inheritors are at discretion to pay of the deceased’s Zakat from their inherited portions. It is not obligatory.

To read more about detailed information on Zakat, click here…