Answered by Shaykh Amjad Rasheed
Is it obligatory to pay zakat from money that has been saved to pay for an accused man? The situation is that this mans income has been cut off and he needs to support his family and pay his lawyer.
If a man has saved up money that reaches nisab (the minimum wealth upon which zakat must be paid) and a lunar year as passed upon him, during which his money has been at nisab, it is obligatory for him to pay zakat upon it immediately even if he is financially indebted to another, as in your question. A debt does not negate the obligatoriness of zakat in our school.
The Hanafis have said that whoever has a debt that reaches nisab, or it doesn’t reach nisab at all, zakat is not obligatory upon him; since debts negate zakat according to them.
The questioner may follow their position if his situation is as the Hanafis describe.
(Translated by Shazia Ahmad)
الجواب : إذا ادخر شخص مالاً يبلغ نصابه ومرَّ عليه سنة هجرية كاملة وهو نصاب وجب إخراج زكاته فوراً ولو كان عليه دين آخر كما في السؤال ، فالدين لا يمنع وجوب الزكاة في مذهبنا . وقال السادة الحنفية : من كان عليه دين يستغرق النصاب أو ينقصه فلا تجب عليه الزكاة ؛ لأن الدين يمنع الزكاة عندهم . فللسائل تقليدهم في ذلك إذا كان حاله كما قال الحنفية .