Fatwa ID: 06582
Answered by: Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain
Question:
I have a question about paying my zakat. I just received ten thousand pounds from the government just before my zakat is due do I have to include that in my zakat too? And is the zakat is only on savings of one year. or any money you have for example my account balance keeps going minus during the year. I pay my zakat with all money I have at the moment. Can I exclude the money for example bills coming next month? And I have another question if my brother-in-law does not have any savings but his wife s git 3 tola gold can I give him zakat or not. Or can a widow who has 1 to 3 tola gold but she works in people s houses for a living is she eligible for zakat?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
The Prophet ﷺ said: “Pay a fortieth. A dirham is payable on every forty, but you are not liable for payment until you have accumulated two hundred dirhams. When you have two hundred dirhams, five dirhams are payable, and that proportion is applicable to larger amounts… [Sunan Abi Dawood; Hadith 1572] [1]
The first time your wealth surpasses the Nisaab amount, that would be your Zakat anniversary. You would need to record which day is in the Islamic calendar. One year from that day, you will need to calculate your total savings including but not limited to investments, assets, properties, any business stock and etc. Zakat is only paid out on savings and so you can exclude funds set aside for day-to-day spending. During the year, savings will fluctuate, but this will be disregarded and it will not impact your calculations. Consideration is only given to what has been accumulated by this Zakat-anniversary day. After calculating total savings, 2.5% of that must be paid in Zakat to the poor, as the Hadtih above has clarified. A needy/deserved person must be made recipient and owner of that sum.
In later years, any new savings or income will simply be tallied on the Zakat anniversary day. You will not wait a subsequent year before paying Zakat on this. On the Zakat-anniversary day, Zakat will be due on total savings, monetary and otherwise.
The Nisaab is the minimum amount of savings required before the payment of Zakat becomes mandatory for a person.
The Nisaab equivalent is;
Gold- 20 Dinars or 7.5 Tolas or 87.48 grams (Approx. £3,432.72)
Silver-200 Dirhams 52.5 Tolas or 612.36 grams (Approx. £361.29)
Since the era of the Prophet ﷺ the price of silver has drastically fallen whereas the price of gold has risen. Hence, the a great difference between the current figures for the Nisaab of gold and silver. [Radd ul Muhtaar; Volume 3, page 224] [2]
In regards to your brother-in-law, if he has no savings and is considered to have accumulative wealth below the threshold of the Nisaab, then he would be eligible to receive Zakat. If we look at the Nisaab set by gold, then even his wife does not have enough gold to take her above the threshold of Nisaab, thus she too would be eligible to receive Zakat. This is greatly beneficial, as the Prophet ﷺ has encouraged giving Zakat to kin. One who does so will get double the reward. One reward for fulfilling the Fardh action of paying Zakat and the second for upholding the ties of kinship. [Sunan Ibn Majah; Hadith 1844, Sunan An Nasa’i ; Hadith 2582] [3]
The widow would also be eligible to receive Zakat based on the same point.
Only Allah knows best.
Written by Maulana Mohammed Dilwar Hussain
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
[1]حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ النُّفَيْلِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا زُهَيْرٌ، حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ، عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ ضَمْرَةَ، وَعَنِ الْحَارِثِ الأَعْوَرِ، عَنْ عَلِيٍّ، – رضى الله عنه – قَالَ زُهَيْرٌ أَحْسَبُهُ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم أَنَّهُ قَالَ ” هَاتُوا رُبْعَ الْعُشُورِ مِنْ كُلِّ أَرْبَعِينَ دِرْهَمًا دِرْهَمٌ وَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ شَىْءٌ حَتَّى تَتِمَّ مِائَتَىْ دِرْهَمٍ فَإِذَا كَانَتْ مِائَتَىْ دِرْهَمٍ فَفِيهَا خَمْسَةُ دَرَاهِمَ فَمَا زَادَ فَعَلَى حِسَابِ ذَلِكَ…
[2]أل فيه للمعهود في حديث (هاتوا ربع عشر أموالكم) فإن المراد به غير السائمة، لأن زكاتها غير مقدرتدة به. (نصاب الذهب عشرون مثقالا والفضة مائتا درهم كل عشرة) دراهم…
[3]حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو بَكْرِ بْنُ أَبِي شَيْبَةَ، وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ، قَالاَ حَدَّثَنَا وَكِيعٌ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَوْنٍ، عَنْ حَفْصَةَ بِنْتِ سِيرِينَ، عَنِ الرَّبَابِ أُمِّ الرَّائِحِ بِنْتِ صُلَيْعٍ، عَنْ سَلْمَانَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ الضَّبِّيِّ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ “ الصَّدَقَةُ عَلَى الْمِسْكِينِ صَدَقَةٌ وَهِيَ عَلَى ذِي الْقَرَابَةِ اثْنَتَانِ صَدَقَةٌ وَصِلَةٌ ”
