What is the ruling regarding changing the standard payment (*nisab*) when the entire assessed property consists of diseased items, and the intended payment (*fardiyyah*) is non-existent?
General Chapter
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
When the entirety of the assessed property is diseased and the standard due payment is unavailable, the administrator is permitted to descend to the lower age standard (*al-sunn al-ulfā*) while compensating for the difference (*jabrān*). This downward adjustment is permissible because the compensation paid represents an act of voluntary giving from the administrator's wealth, and the property owner accepts the surplus. It is explicitly impermissible for the administrator to ascend to a higher age standard while taking compensation, because the compensation amount exceeds the difference between the two standard payments, and the compensation might be a restoration of the original value. Therefore, ascending is not allowed, but descending is allowed.
Supporting text
If the administrator is the guardian of an orphan, descending to the lower standard with compensation is also prohibited because it is impermissible to give the surplus from the orphan's wealth. In such a case, the obligation is to purchase the standard due payment from funds other than the orphan's estate.