Is the payment of Zakat immediately obligatory upon possession of the requisite wealth?

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The payment of Zakat is immediately obligatory upon fulfilling the necessary conditions and when capable of doing so, provided no harm is feared. This position is held by Al-Shafi'i. The ruling is derived from the principle that an absolute command necessitates immediate compliance (al-fawr). Evidence for this is seen in divine precedent where abstention from immediate compliance brings punishment, exemplified by Iblis's expulsion and rebuke for delaying prostration. Furthermore, the immediate nature of the obligation is necessitated by the pressing need of the poor, which is immediate, and because Zakat is a recurring act of worship, like prayer and fasting, which cannot be postponed until another instance of the same obligation arises. Imam Ahmad strictly emphasized this immediacy, stating that if a year passes on wealth, Zakat must be paid immediately, all at once, unless circumstances dictate otherwise.