I own a pharmacy and have only merchandise. A full year (*ḥawl*) has passed and I have no cash. How do I pay the zakāh?
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah.
Zakāh must be paid immediately from the day it becomes due, and delaying it is forbidden when one is able to pay it, because it is the right of the poor, and it is forbidden to delay giving people their rights except for a valid Sharīʿah excuse. Shaykh al-Islām Imam al-Nawawī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “In our school, zakāh must be paid out immediately. Once it becomes due and he is able to pay it, it is not permissible to delay it. If he is unable, he may delay it until he is able. If he delays it after being able, he is disobedient and becomes liable for it.” [al-Majmūʿ Sharḥ al-Muhadhdhab, Vol.5/p.333]
If cash is not available to pay the zakāh and the only option is to pay in installments, he must pay it, even if in installments, from the proceeds of the merchandise that is sold after the time the zakāh became due, by deducting a set amount from each day’s takings. And Allah Almighty knows best.
Is it recommended (mustaḥabb) for the one offering a voluntary sacrifice (uḍḥiyyat taṭawwuʿ) to eat from its meat?
In the Name of Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon our Master, the Messenger of Allah.
It is highly recommended (Mustahabb) for the person offering a voluntary Udhiyah (sacrificial animal) to eat from its meat, but it is not an obligatory requirement (Wajib). Allah the Almighty says {what means}: "So eat of them and feed the needy who do not beg and the beggar. Thus have We subjected them to you that you may be grateful." (Al-Hajj/ 36)
"So eat of them": This directive is an encouraging recommendation, not a binding command.
The Qani’ (the needy who do not beg): Refers to a poor person who refrains from asking people for help out of dignity.
The Mu’tarr (the beggar): Refers to a poor person who explicitly asks others for assistance. And Allah the Almighty Knows Best.
Is it permissible to use unscented petroleum jelly (Vaseline) during ‘Umrah, in order to prevent skin chafing or irritation?
All praise is due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon our master, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
According to the Shāfi‘ī school, it is permissible for someone in the state of iḥrām to use oils and creams free of perfume/fragrance on parts of the body other than the head and beard, for a genuine medical need — such as preventing skin chafing or irritation. However, applying them to the head or beard remains unlawful.
Shaykh al-Islām, Imam an-Nawawī (raḥimahullāh), says in al-Majmū‘ (Vol.7/P.279): "Oils are of two types: the first is an oil that is neither perfumed itself nor contains any perfume — such as olive oil, sesame oil, ghee, butter, walnut oil, almond oil, and similar oils. The use of this type is not unlawful anywhere on the body, except on the head and beard — where its use is unlawful without any disagreement [among the scholars]." And Allah, the Exalted, knows best.
What is the ruling on swallowing phlegm while fasting?
If a fasting person intentionally swallows phlegm, their fast is invalid, as it is possible to avoid it.
However, if they swallow it unintentionally, their fast remains valid.
Phlegm is impure and should be avoided.
