He—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked:

“If someone owes zakat and has relatives who are eligible for charity in a town far enough away to permit shortening the prayer when travelling there, may he give his zakat to them or not?”

He replied:

Praise be to Allah. If they are in need, eligible for zakat, and do not receive enough to meet their needs from another source, he may give them his zakat, even if they live in a distant town. And Allah knows best.

Shaykh al-Islām was asked:

“Regarding a needy person who needs zakat from crops: if the crop owner gives it to him in advance, before his crop ripens, does this discharge the owner’s obligation or not?”

He replied:

As for paying zakat in advance, before it becomes obligatory but after the basis for its obligation has arisen, this is permissible according to the majority of scholars, including Abū Hanīfah, al-Shāfiʿī, and Ahmad. Thus, it is permissible to