Fatwa ID: 08697

Answered by: Maulana Ateiq-ur Rehman

Question:

I would like to know if my wife has saved £5,000 from benefits we both receive and some money from Carers Allowance. And we owe someone £10,000 for some work we had done at the home. Do we need to pay zakat?

In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful

Answer:

In the Hanafi school of Fiqh, the obligation of Zakat depends on whether a person owns the Nisaab (Zakat threshold: 612.35 grams of silver or 87.47 grams of gold or currency, wealth equivalent to that amount) after deducting the debt. If you have £5000 saved and your debt is £10,000, your net wealth is -£5000. You are not liable to pay Zakat, as you do not meet the Nisaab. 

References:

(مِنْ) دَيْنٍ ضَعِيفٍ وَهُوَ (بَدَلُ غَيْرِ مَالٍ) كَمَهْرٍ وَدِيَةٍ وَبَدَلِ كِتَابَةٍ وَخُلْعٍ، إلَّا إذَا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ مَا يُضَمُّ إلَى الدَّيْنِ الضَّعِيفِ

تَجِبُ الزَّكَاةُ فِيهِ وَلَا يَلْزَمُهُ الْأَدَاءُ حَتَّى يَقْبِضَ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ فَيُزَكِّيهَا. وَفِي رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ سِمَاعَةَ عَنْ أَبِي حَنِيفَةَ: لَا زَكَاةَ فِيهِ حَتَّى يَقْبِضَ وَيَحُولَ عَلَيْهِ الْحَوْلُ؛ لِأَنَّهُ صَارَ مَالَ الزَّكَاةِ الْآنَ فَصَارَ كَالْحَادِثِ ابْتِدَاءً.

مُقْتَضَى مَا مَرَّ مِنْ أَنَّ الدَّيْنَ الْقَوِيَّ وَالْمُتَوَسِّطَ لَا يَجِبُ أَدَاءُ زَكَاتِهِ إلَّا بَعْدَ الْقَبْضِ أَنَّ الْمُوَرِّثَ لَوْ مَاتَ بَعْدَ سِنِينَ قَبْلَ قَبْضِهِ لَا يَلْزَمُهُ الْإِيصَاءُ بِإِخْرَاجِ زَكَاتِهِ عِنْدَ قَبْضِهِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَجِبْ عَلَيْهِ الْأَدَاءُ فِي حَيَاتِهِ وَلَا عَلَى الْوَارِثِ أَيْضًا…

كتاب حاشية ابن عابدين = رد المحتار ط الحلبي 2:306

Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.

Written by Maulana Ateiq-ur Rehman

Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham