Title: Can we delay our zakat for a year or two, due to non avaibality of funds/cash & what are the rulings for qurbani in such a situation.

Question: My wife is sahib nisab, but has no cash and I am neither sahib nisab, nor do I have enough cash to pay for her zakah, so can we delay the payment of zakah for a year, and pay the zakah for two years together in the next year, or is it obligatory for us to sell some jewellery and pay the zakah. I sought this information from a few Ulama, and they said that in my case, where I will be able to afford to pay the zakah by next year, it can be permissible to delay. Q2.) I am not sahib-e-nisab (as I have no personal savings), but have a steady income (through a fixed salary) at this moment, so can I offer a qurbani for my (late) mother and my wife, is it permissible? And do I need to offer a qurbani for myself as well? And if not, then what shall be the case for my wife (who has no savings, except her jewellery)?

Answer ID: 48455Posted on: Aug 31, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 1309/1021/D=11/1434) (1) Paying zakah is wajib as soon as the year completes and it is a sin to delay it unnecessarily. In the question mentioned above, if the wife does not have cash amount to pay the zakah then she should borrow some money or sell some jewellery. However, it shall be makrooh to postpone it till next year. (2) If the cash available with you and extra assets and gold and silver do not reach equal to 52.5 tola silver nisab then qurbani is not wajib on you. However, you may do nafl qurbani on behalf of your mother and wife if you wish. Also if you do the wajib qurbani of your wife with her permission then it shall be valid. In this case no separate qurbani shall remain wajib on her. Otherwise, being the owner of nisab qurbani shall remain wajib on her.