ZAKAAT

The person who has some wealth and still does not take out zakaat for it is regarded as a great sinner in the sight of Allah Ta'ala. He will be severely punished on the day of judgement. Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "The person who possesses gold and silver and does not give zakaat for it, then on the day of judgement, slabs of fire will be made for him. These slabs will be heated in the fire of jahannam and his sides, forehead and back will be branded with them. When these slabs become cool, they will be re-heated and the entire process will be repeated." Rasulullah sallallahu alayhi wa sallam said: "The person who has been given wealth by Allah Ta'ala and despite this does not give zakaat for it, then on the day of judgement this wealth of his will be turned into a huge poisonous snake which will encircle his neck. It will then tear the sides of his mouth apart and tell him: 'I am your wealth and I am your treasures.'" We seek refuge in Allah Ta'ala. Who can bear such severe punishment? It is the height of foolishness and stupidity that we are prepared to pay such a great penalty for a little greed and selfishness on our part. It is extremely foolish and improper to refuse to spend in the path of Allah the wealth that Allah Himself has granted to us.

1. If a person possesses 612.35 grams of silver or 87.479 grams of gold or any currency that equals the value of this amount of gold or silver, and this wealth remains in his possession for a complete year, then on the expiry of this year it will be wajib on him to give zakaat for it. If his wealth is less than this, zakaat will not be wajib . If it is more than this, zakaat will still be wajib .

2. A person possessed the complete nisaab for about four to six months. Thereafter, this nisaab decreased, and after about three months he acquired some other wealth (and he once again possesses the complete nisaab , even in such a case zakaat will be wajib on him. In other words, if a person possesses the nisaab at the beginning and at the end of the year, zakaat will be wajib on him. By the nisaab decreasing during the course of the year, one is not absolved of giving one's zakaat. However, if his entire wealth is lost and he finds it later, then the beginning of the year will be calculated from the time that he finds his wealth. (The period prior to that will not be calculated).

3. A person possessed the nisaab but prior to the expiry of one year all his wealth is lost and it was not in his possession for the complete year. In such a case zakaat will not be wajib .

4. A person possesses the full nisaab and also has debts which equal the nisaab . In such a case zakaat will not be wajib .

5. If his debts are such that if he were to fulfil his debts he will have a remainder of wealth which will equal the nisaab , then zakaat will be wajib on him.

6. Zakaat is wajib on jewellery, utensils, ornaments, and brocades that have been made with gold or silver. This is irrespective of whether these items are in use or not. In other words, zakaat is wajib on everything that is made of gold or silver. However, if they are less than the nisaab , zakaat will not be wajib .

7. If the gold or silver is not pure but has been mixed with another metal, then one will have to check as to which is more in content. If the gold or silver is more, then the rules which are applicable to both will apply here as well. That is, if they equal the nisaab , zakaat will be wajib . If the content of the other metal is more than that of the gold or silver, it will not be regarded as gold or silver. The rules that apply to brass, copper, steel, tin, etc. will also apply to this metal. These rules will be discussed later.

8. A person does not have the complete nisaab of gold nor of silver. Instead, he has a bit of gold and a bit of silver. If both are added together and their value equals the nisaab of gold or silver, zakaat will be wajib . But if they do not equal the nisaab of either gold or silver after adding them together, zakaat will not be wajib . If the nisaab of gold or silver is complete, there is no need to obtain their value.

9. Assuming that the price of 11.664 grams of gold is R25, and for R1 we can get 17.496 grams of silver and a person possesses double this amount of gold (i.e. 23.328 grams) plus R5 both of which is over and above his needs. Furthermore, he has this gold and cash in his possession for a full year. In such a case, zakaat will be wajib . This is because the 23.328 grams of gold equals R50, and for R50 one can purchase 874.8 grams of silver (50x17.496g). In addition to this, if the R5 were to be added together, this will result in a lot of wealth upon which zakaat will be wajib . However, if he only possesses the 23.328 grams of gold and does not have any cash or silver; zakaat will not be wajib .

10. Assuming that we get 23.328 grams of silver for R1 and a person only possesses R30. Zakaat will not be wajib and we will not calculate and say that R30 equals 699.84 grams of silver (i.e. 30 x 23.328 = 699.84) based on the fact that the rand is actually in place of the silver and when we only have gold or silver, then we will take the weight into consideration and not the value. (This rule will only apply when the coins used to be made of silver. These days, coins are made of copper and other cheap metals. We even receive them in return for currency notes. Now the ruling will be that the person who possesses coins or notes equal to the current value of the nisaab of gold or silver, zakaat on this will be wajib .)

11. A person had money equal to the nisaab which was over and above his needs. Prior to the expiry of the year, he received an additional amount. This additional amount will not be calculated separately. Instead, it will be added to the original amount and upon the expiry of the year, zakaat will be wajib on the entire amount and it will be regarded as if the original amount and the additional amount was in his possession for one full year.

12. A person had silver which was equal to the nisaab . Prior to the expiry of the year, he received an amount of gold (whether more or less than the amount of nisaab). This amount will not be calculated separately. Instead, it will be added to the original amount of silver and zakaat will be wajib on the total amount upon the expiry of that year.

13. With the exception of gold and silver, the rule regarding all other metals such as steel, copper, brass, etc., the utensils that are made of these metals, clothing, footwear, and all other such items is that if these items are for the purpose of trade, zakaat will be wajib on them if they reach the nisaab of either gold or silver and are in the possession of the person for a period of one year. However, if these items do not reach the nisaab , zakaat will not be wajib . If these items are not for the purpose of trade, zakaat will not be wajib irrespective of the amount one possesses. Even if the value of these items reaches thousands of rands, zakaat will not be wajib as long as they are not for the purpose of trade.

14. Zakaat is not wajib on household effects such as utensils, pots, big pots, trays, basins, crockery and glassware, the house in which one lives, the clothes which one wears, jewellery made of pearls, etc. This is irrespective of the amount and irrespective of whether they are being used daily or not. However, if they are kept for the purpose of trade, zakaat will be wajib on them as well. In short, zakaat is not wajib on all items apart from gold and silver if they are not for the purpose of trade. But if they are for trade, zakaat will be wajib on them as well.

15. A person owns several homes from which he collects rent. Zakaat is not wajib on these homes irrespective of their value. Similarly, if a person purchases some utensils and hires them out, zakaat will not be wajib on these utensils. In short, by hiring or renting something out, zakaat does not become wajib on that thing.

16. Zakaat is not wajib on clothes irrespective of how expensive they may be. However, if they are embroidered with gold or silver thread and if this thread were to be removed and weighed it will be equal to the nisaab, then in such a case zakaat will be wajib . But if it does not reach the nisaab , zakaat will not be wajib .

17. A person possesses some gold or silver, and some goods for trade as well. All these will have to be calculated together. If they reach the nisaab of either gold or silver, zakaat will be wajib . If they do not reach the nisaab , zakaat will not be wajib .

18. Goods for trade will only be regarded as such if they have been purchased with the intention of re-sale. If a person purchases some rice or any other item for his domestic needs or for a wedding, etc. and thereafter decides to sell this item, zakaat will not be wajib on this.

19. Zakaat is also wajib on the money that is owed to a person by his debtors. Debts are of three types:

The First Type : The person loaned some gold, silver or money, or sold some tradeable goods to another person. He is owing this money and only repays his debt after a year or two. If whatever he loaned is equal to or more than the nisaab , zakaat will be wajib for all the years that he had loaned the money.

He did not repay the debt at once, but in instalments. The moment he pays an amount equal to the value of 128.304 grams of silver, zakaat will become wajib on him. But if the person repays the value of 128.304 grams of silver in instalments as well, zakaat will only become wajib on the completion of this amount. Each time that this amount is paid, zakaat on it will have to be given. Whenever the person gives the zakaat, he will also have to pay for all the previous years in which the zakaat was not paid.

If the money owed is less than the nisaab , zakaat will not be wajib on the person. However, if the person has some other wealth upon which zakaat is necessary, then this wealth should be added to the money owed. If, after adding them together, they equal the nisaab , zakaat will be wajib on the total amount.

20. The Second Type : A person did not loan any cash nor did he give (on credit) any goods for trade. Instead, he sold something which was not originally purchased for re-sale, eg. he sold some of his personal clothing or some household goods, and the person is still owing him the money for these items. In addition to this, the amount that he is owing is equal to or more than the nisaab and he only repays this amount after several years. Zakaat will be wajib for all the years. If he does not repay this debt at once, but repays it in instalments, then as long as the paid up instalments do not reach the current nisaab of silver or gold, zakaat will not be wajib on the amount that he collected. The moment an instalment reaches the current nisaab , zakaat becomes wajib for all the years in which zakaat was not paid.

21. The Third Type : The husband owes his wife the mahr (dowry) which had been stipulated at the time of marriage. He only pays this mahr after several years. Zakaat will only be calculated from the day that she actually receives her mahr . Zakaat for the previous years will not be wajib . If the mahr remains with her for a period of one year after having received it, zakaat will become wajib on her upon the expiry of one year. But if she does not have the mahr (for example, if she spends it), zakaat will not be wajib .

22. A rich person upon whom zakaat is wajib gives his zakaat before the expiry of one year and does not wait until the end of the year. This is permissible and his zakaat will be considered to be fulfilled. But if the person is not rich and envisaged receiving some money in the near future, and therefore gave his zakaat before the expiry of the year, this zakaat of his will not be considered to be fulfilled. When he receives the money and thereafter a year passes, he will have to give his zakaat again.

23. It is permissible for a rich person to give zakaat for several years beforehand. But if his wealth increases in any given year, he will have to give zakaat for the extra wealth that he obtained.

24. A person has R1000 over and above his basic needs. He also envisages receiving another R1000 from somewhere. Before the expiry of the year, he gives zakaat for the total R2000. This is also permissible. However, if his money gets less than the nisaab at the end of that year, then zakaat will not be wajib on him and the zakaat which he had already given will be regarded as a voluntary charity (sadaqah-e-naafilah) .

25. A person had some wealth for a full year but before he could give the zakaat, all his wealth was stolen or disappeared in some other way. He will be absolved from giving zakaat. But if the person gives his wealth away or causes it to be destroyed in some way or the other, then he will not be absolved from giving the zakaat. It will remain wajib upon him.

26. After the expiry of the year, a person gave all his wealth in charity. Zakaat will not be wajib on him.

27. A person had R2000. After the expiry of one year, R1000 was stolen or he gave it in charity. He will be absolved from giving the zakaat of R1000. He will now only have to give zakaat for R1000.

The Paying of Zakaat

1. Upon the expiry of the year, zakaat should be given immediately. It is not a good habit to delay in carrying out good deeds because it is possible that death may overcome a person and this duty will still remain on his shoulders. If the paying of zakaat is delayed to such an extent that the second year also expires, the person will be a sinner but he can still repent for this sin and pay the zakaat immediately. In other words, he should pay the zakaat that is incumbent upon him at some time or the other in his life and should not leave it out.

2. Zakaat is wajib on 1/40th of all the wealth which a person possesses. That is, R2-50 for every R100 or R1 for every R40.

3. At the time of giving the zakaat to a poor person, one must have the intention in his heart that he is giving this money as zakaat. If he merely gives it without making any intention, the zakaat will not be fulfilled. He will have to give the zakaat again, and he will be rewarded separately for the money that he had already given.

4. If the person did not make the intention of giving zakaat at the time of giving it to the poor person, then as long as that money is still in the possession of the poor person, he will be able to make the intention. By making the intention at this stage, his zakaat will be fulfilled. But if the poor person has already spent that money, then the intention that is made at this stage will not be considered. He will have to repeat the payment of his zakaat.

5. A person set aside R2 to be given as zakaat and decided that when he comes across a deserving person he will give it to him. However, when he gave it to the poor person he forgot to make the intention of zakaat. In this case, zakaat will be fulfilled. But if he did not make the intention of zakaat at the time of setting it aside, his zakaat will not be fulfilled.

6. A person has taken out his zakaat for distribution. He has the choice of giving all his zakaat to one person or distributing it among several persons. He also has the option of giving all the zakaat on one day or distributing it over several months.

7. It is better to give one poor person an amount which will be sufficient for him for that day so that he will not have to ask anyone else.

8. It is makruh to give one poor person an amount which makes the giving of zakaat wajib . However, if it is given, the zakaat will be fulfilled. It is permissible and not makruh to give an amount that is less than this.

9. A person comes to borrow some money and it is known that he is so poor and hard-pressed that he will be unable to fulfil this debt or that he is a very bad payer and never fulfils his debts. If the person gives him some zakaat money and also makes this intention in his heart that he is giving zakaat, then in such a case zakaat will be fulfilled despite the poor person regarding it as a debt.

10. If a poor person is given something as a gift, but in his heart the person has the intention of giving zakaat, even then zakaat will be fulfilled.

11. A poor person is owing you R10. You also have to pay zakaat for a sum of R10 or more. You forgave the poor person the R10 which he is owing you with the intention of it being zakaat. In such a case, zakaat will not be fulfilled. However, if you give him another R10 with the intention of zakaat, zakaat will be fulfilled. It will now be permissible to take this R10 from him as a fulfilment of his debt.

12. If a person has so much of silver in his possession that the zakaat on that silver amounts to 33 grams of silver and the market value of this 33 grams is two silver coins, then it is not permissible to give two silver coins in zakaat because these two coins do not weigh 33 grams. And if silver is paid in zakaat against silver goods, then the weight of the silver being paid is considered and not the price. However, in the aforementioned case, if gold, metal-base coins, clothing, etc. to the value of two silver coins is purchased and given as zakaat, or 33 grams of silver is paid as zakaat, then the zakaat will be fulfilled.

13. It is permissible for a person to appoint someone else to give the zakaat on his behalf. If the person to whom the money has been given does not make the intention of zakaat at the time of giving the money to a poor person, the zakaat will still be fulfilled.

14. You gave a person R2 to be given to another person as zakaat. However, this person did not give the very same R2 which you had given to him. Instead, he gave another R2 which was in his personal possession and thought in his mind that he will take the R2 that you had given him. Even in this case the zakaat will be be fulfilled. However, this is on the condition that your R2 is in his possession and he is now taking your R2 in place of his R2. But if he spends your R2 first and thereafter gives his own R2 to a poor person, zakaat will not be fulfilled. Alternatively, he has your R2 in his possession, but at the time of giving his R2 he did not make the intention of taking your R2 later. Even in this case, zakaat will not be fulfilled. He will now have to give R2 in zakaat again.

15. If you did not give him any money but merely asked him to give some zakaat on your behalf and he does this for you, the zakaat will be fulfilled. He should now take whatever amount he had paid from you.

16. If a person pays some zakaat on your behalf without your asking him to do so or without your permission, the zakaat will not be fulfilled. Now, even if you agree or accept his payment on your behalf, it will not be permissible. He does not even have the right to collect or ask you for that money.

17. You have given a person R2 to be given on your behalf as zakaat. This person has the choice of giving it to a poor person himself or asking a third person to give it on his behalf. When giving it to this third person he does not have to mention your name that this zakaat must be given on behalf of so and so person. If that person gives the money to a relative of his, or to his parents if he finds them in need, this is also permissible. However, if the person who was asked to distribute the zakaat is poor himself; he cannot take this money for his personal use. But, at the time of giving the money to him, if you told him to do whatever he likes with the money and that he could give it to whomsoever he wishes, it will be permissible for him to keep it for his personal use.