“I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), that if I collect what I have lent to someone when must I pay Zakat? He (the Imam) said, ‘Pay when you collect it.’ I then said, ‘I collect a certain amount in a certain time of the year and another amount in another time of the year. He (the Imam) smiled and then said, ‘How good is the deal in which you are involved!’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘What you collect in the first six months, pay its Zakat after a year and what you collect in the other six months, pay its Zakat in the coming year. So also is the case with your earning, which you gain in separate times during a whole year. What you earn in the first six months pay its Zakat in that year and what you earn thereafter pay its Zakat in the coming year.’”