Paying Zakah in installments

i pay zakat every week 1, 2, 1, riyal like this. because after ramadhan it will be amount so mind will not allow to give. now in this way i give whole year 1, 2, 1, rial 9BY NIAT ZAKAT)and deop in the charity box because no zakat box in any place. now my zakat will be ok. or not. my salam to u all. pls. reply md. ali, qatar.

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah, and that Muhammad is His slave and messenger.

Zakah is to be paid only to the eight categories of people who are eligible to receive Zakah as specified by Sharee'ah. Allaah says (what means): {Zakah expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed to collect [Zakah] and for bringing hearts together [for Islam] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allaah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allaah. And Allaah is Knowing and Wise.}[Quran 9:60]

It is not a valid fulfillment of the obligation of Zakah to put Zakah money in donation boxes that are not intended for Zakah, and where money that is not intended for Zakah could be placed. This is because the one who puts his Zakah money in it does not know whether it will be spent on the categories of people who are eligible Zakah recipients or be spent on other donations that are not included in the categories on which the Zakah should be spent. A person's liability is not cleared from the obligation if he does not verify the validity of the channel in which he spends it and if he has doubts about that. If you did not make sure that your Zakah money was paid to an eligible Zakah recipient, then all that you paid does not clear your liability [from Zakah] and you are still required to pay Zakah while doing your best to give it to its eligible recipients.

The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads: "Doubt in giving Zakah to its eligible recipients: If a person who is obliged to pay Zakah pays it while he is doubting about it being given to one of its eligible recipients, and he did not do his best to pay it to its eligible recipients, or that he endeavored to do so but it did not appear to him that the recipient was a person who was eligible to receive Zakah, then his payment of Zakah is not done in a valid way, unless it becomes clear to him that he had given it to someone who is eligible for it.” [End of quote]

The fact that there are no special fundraising boxes for Zakah does not exempt you from the responsibility of researching and investigating to find out the recipients of Zakah. If you are a resident of Qatar as it appears from your question, then there is a Zakah fund under the auspices of the state which takes care of its collection and distribution to the beneficiaries. There are also associations and charitable organizations which play the same role. Their addresses and telephone numbers are known and available, so there is no excuse for whoever is negligent in searching and investigating.

As regards paying the Zakah in installments by giving one Riyal or two Riyals every day, then if you are paying it on this method before a whole lunar year has elapsed – and the property you possess reaches the Nisaab (minimum amount liable for Zakah) – then this is an advance payment of Zakah and it is permissible according to the view we adopt here in Isalmweb.

The Fiqh Encyclopedia reads: "The majority of the scholars, among whom are the Hanafi, Shaafi'i and Hanbali scholars, Abu ‘Ubayd and Is-haaq, are of the view that it is permissible for the person to pay Zakah before its due time.... However, the Shaafi'i scholars said, it is permissible to pay Zakah in advance for one year only and not for two years according to the most correct opinion ... and they conditioned for the permissibility of this that the Nisaab is already owned, and it is not permissible to pay Zakah before its due time if the Nisaab is not yet reached, without any difference of opinion.” [End of quote]

When the payment of Zakah becomes due by the lapse of a whole lunar year, you should look at what you have already paid - whether or not it fulfills the due amount. If it appears that it is less than the due Zakah amount, then in this case, you should pay the remaining of the due amount. For more information, please refer to Fataawa 14605 and 149137. 

On the other hand, if you used to pay Zakah in installments after a whole lunar year has passed on the Nisaab, then this is not permissible because it is an obligation to pay Zakah immediately even if it is a big amount. Imaam An-Nawawi said: “When Zakah becomes obligatory and the person was able to pay it, then it is an obligation to pay it immediately. If he delays it, he is sinful. This is the view of Maalik, Ahmad and the majority of the scholars.” [End of quote]

The mind, which you mentioned that it refuses to pay Zakah, does not have anything to do with this. Rather, the sound mind accepts to pay it willfully and submissively out of gratefulness to Allaah for His Bounty. In fact, what prevents the person from paying it is greed, stinginess and ungratefulness to Allaah for His bestowal of wealth.

Allaah Knows best.