Is it permissible to pay zakat on wealth annually according to the Gregorian calendar (early July) instead of the Hijri calendar, and what should be done about previous years if that is not permissible?
It is not permissible to consider the Gregorian year as a hawl (one-year period) for Zakat, due to the injustice it entails towards the poor. What is recognized Islamically is the lunar year, based on the Almighty's saying: "Indeed, the number of months with Allah is twelve months in the Register of Allah, the day He created the heavens and the earth." This is also because the solar year exceeds the lunar year by approximately eleven days, which leads to a decrease in Zakat over the long term. The error must be corrected, and wealth must be given as Zakat according to the lunar calendar, while calculating the accumulated time difference between the two calendars.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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