Q: Is zakaat waajib on a person who possesses the nisaab amount but also has unsettled debts? From Ihyaaud Deen. This entry is part 2 of 37 in the series Zakaat Masaail
A: The principle of shari’at is that after evaluating one’s zakaatable assets one will deduct his liabilities and debts. If the remaining amount reaches the nisaab, zakaat will be waajib.
Examples:
Nisaab: R3, 000; Zakaatable assets: R10, 000; Liabilities: R8, 000; Balance: R2, 000 = Zakaat will not be waajib.
Nisaab: R3, 000; Zakaatable assets: R10, 000; Liabilities: R6, 000; Balance: R4, 000 = Zakaat will be waajib.
(Shami 2/260)