Yahya related to me from Malik from Ayyub ibn Abi Tamima as- Sakhtayani that Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, when writing about wealth that one of his governors had collected unjustly, ordered it to be returned to its owner and zakat to be taken from it for the years that had passed. Then shortly afterwards he revised his order with a message that zakat should only be taken from it once, since it was not wealth in hand.  

أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ كَتَبَ فِي مَالٍ قَبَضَهُ بَعْضُ الْوُلاَةِ ظُلْمًا يَأْمُرُ بِرَدِّهِ إِلَى أَهْلِهِ وَيُؤْخَذُ زَكَاتُهُ لِمَا مَضَى مِنَ السِّنِينَ ثُمَّ عَقَّبَ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ بِكِتَابٍ أَنْ لاَ يُؤْخَذُ مِنْهُ إِلاَّ زَكَاةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ ضِمَارًا  

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Khusayfa that he had asked Sulayman ibn Yasar whether zakat was due from a man who had wealth in hand but also owed a debt for the same amount, and he replied, "No." Malik said, "The position that we are agreed upon concerning a debt is that the lender of it does not pay zakat on it until he gets it back. Even if it stays with the borrower for a number of years before the lender collects it, the lender only has to pay zakat on it once. If he collects an amount of the debt which is not zakatable, and has other wealth which is zakatable, then what he has collected of the debt is added to the rest of his wealth and he pays zakat on the total sum." Malik continued, "If he has no ready money other than that which he has collected from his debt, and that does not reach a zakatable amount, then he does not have to pay any zakat. He must, however, keep a record of the amount that he has collected and if, later, he collects another amount which, when added to what he has already collected, brings zakat into effect, then he has to pay zakat on it." Malik continued, "Zakat is due on this first amount, together with what he has further collected of the debt owed to him, regardless of whether or not he has used up what he first collected. If what he takes back reaches twenty dinars of gold, or two hundred dirhams of silver he pays zakat on it. He pays zakat on anything else he takes back afte rthat, whether it be a large or small amount, according to the amount." Malik said, "What shows that zakat is only taken once from a debt which is out of hand for some years before it is recovered is that if goods remain with a man for trading purposes for some years before he sells them, he only has to pay zakat on their prices once. This is because the one who is owed the debt, or owns the goods, should not have to take the zakat on the debt, or the goods, from anything else, since the zakat on anything is only taken from the thing itself, and not from anything else." Malik said, "Our position regarding some onewho owes a debt, and has goods which are worth enough to pay off the debt, and also has an amount of ready money which is zakatable, is that he pays the zakat on the ready money which he has to hand. If, however, he only has enough goods and ready money to pay off the debt, then he does not have to pay any zakat. But if the ready money that he has reaches a zakatable amount over and above the amount of the debt that he owes, then he must pay zakat on it."  

قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ الَّذِي لاَ اخْتِلاَفَ فِيهِ عِنْدَنَا فِي الدَّيْنِ أَنَّ صَاحِبَهُ لاَ يُزَكِّيهِ حَتَّى يَقْبِضَهُ وَإِنْ أَقَامَ عِنْدَ الَّذِي هُوَ عَلَيْهِ سِنِينَ ذَوَاتِ عَدَدٍ ثُمَّ قَبَضَهُ صَاحِبُهُ لَمْ تَجِبْ عَلَيْهِ إِلاَّ زَكَاةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ فَإِنْ قَبَضَ مِنْهُ شَيْئًا لاَ تَجِبُ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ كَانَ لَهُ مَالٌ سِوَى الَّذِي قُبِضَ تَجِبُ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ فَإِنَّهُ يُزَكَّى مَعَ مَا قَبَضَ مِنْ دَيْنِهِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ نَاضٌّ غَيْرُ الَّذِي اقْتَضَى مِنْ دَيْنِهِ وَكَانَ الَّذِي اقْتَضَى مِنْ دَيْنِهِ لاَ تَجِبُ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ فَلاَ زَكَاةَ عَلَيْهِ فِيهِ وَلَكِنْ لِيَحْفَظْ عَدَدَ مَا اقْتَضَى فَإِنِ اقْتَضَى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ عَدَدَ مَا تَتِمُّ بِهِ الزَّكَاةُ مَعَ مَا قَبَضَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَعَلَيْهِ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ قَالَ فَإِنْ كَانَ قَدِ اسْتَهْلَكَ مَا اقْتَضَى أَوَّلاً أَوْ لَمْ يَسْتَهْلِكْهُ فَالزَّكَاةُ وَاجِبَةٌ عَلَيْهِ مَعَ مَا اقْتَضَى مِنْ دَيْنِهِ فَإِذَا بَلَغَ مَا اقْتَضَى عِشْرِينَ دِينَارًا عَيْنًا أَوْ مِائَتَىْ دِرْهَمٍ فَعَلَيْهِ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ ثُمَّ مَا اقْتَضَى بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ مِنْ قَلِيلٍ أَوْ كَثِيرٍ فَعَلَيْهِ الزَّكَاةُ بِحَسَبِ ذَلِكَ قَالَ مَالِكٌ وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى الدَّيْنِ يَغِيبُ أَعْوَامًا ثُمَّ يُقْتَضَى فَلاَ يَكُونُ فِيهِ إِلاَّ زَكَاةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ أَنَّ الْعُرُوضَ تَكُونُ عِنْدَ الرَّجُلِ لِلتِّجَارَةِ أَعْوَامًا ثُمَّ يَبِيعُهَا فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْهِ فِي أَثْمَانِهَا إِلاَّ زَكَاةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ وَذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عَلَى صَاحِبِ الدَّيْنِ أَوِ الْعُرُوضِ أَنْ يُخْرِجَ زَكَاةَ ذَلِكَ الدَّيْنِ أَوِ الْعُرُوضِ مِنْ مَالٍ سِوَاهُ وَإِنَّمَا يُخْرِجُ زَكَاةَ كُلِّ شَىْءٍ مِنْهُ وَلاَ يُخْرِجُ الزَّكَاةَ مِنْ شَىْءٍ عَنْ شَىْءٍ غَيْرِهِ قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا فِي الرَّجُلِ يَكُونُ عَلَيْهِ دَيْنٌ وَعِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْعُرُوضِ مَا فِيهِ وَفَاءٌ لِمَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الدَّيْنِ وَيَكُونُ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ النَّاضِّ سِوَى ذَلِكَ مَا تَجِبُ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ فَإِنَّهُ يُزَكِّي مَا بِيَدِهِ مِنْ نَاضٍّ تَجِبُ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْعُرُوضِ وَالنَّقْدِ إِلاَّ وَفَاءُ دَيْنِهِ فَلاَ زَكَاةَ عَلَيْهِ حَتَّى يَكُونَ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ النَّاضِّ فَضْلٌ عَنْ دَيْنِهِ مَا تَجِبُ فِيهِ الزَّكَاةُ فَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُزَكِّيَهُ