Is it permissible to pay Zakat in advance for several years or to pay it in installments throughout the year?

There are several opinions regarding expediting Zakat before the completion of the hawl (one lunar year):

First: The view of the Hanafis, who permit expediting Zakat for more than two years.

Second: The view of the Malikis, who forbid advancing it but make an exception for a small amount of time (one or two days, or ten days, or two months).

Third: The view of the Shafi'is, who hold that it is permissible to expedite Zakat upon owning the nisab (minimum taxable amount) and before the hawl, but it should not be expedited for two years, according to the more correct opinion.

Fourth: The view of the Hanbalis, who permit expediting it for only two hawls.

The most preponderant view is the permissibility of expediting Zakat if a reason for Zakat has been established, namely the nisab and the hawl. If the hawl has begun, it is permissible to pay Zakat. If, by the end of the hawl, the nisab has decreased, it becomes clear that it was a voluntary charity. This is supported by the fact that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, permitted Al-Abbas to expedite his sadaqah (charity/Zakat) before it was due.