pay zakat on livestock, gold and silver, and trade goods in advance if one possesses the minimum zakat threshold. It is also permissible to pay zakat on agricultural produce before it becomes obligatory, if the fruit has appeared but has not yet begun to ripen, and the crops have sprouted but the grain has not yet hardened. Once the grain hardens and the fruit begins to ripen, zakat becomes obligatory.

He was asked:

“A man possesses wealth exceeding the minimum zakat threshold and pays some of the obligatory zakat from it, thinking that a full year has elapsed, but then discovers that it has not. Another person pays zakat with the intention that, if the year has elapsed, it is zakat; otherwise, it is an advance payment towards what will become due. Does the payment discharge the obligation in both cases?”

He replied:

Yes, it discharges the obligation in both cases, provided that zakat becomes obligatory. And Allah knows best.