Fatwa ID: 06620
Answered by: Maulana Mamunur Hussain
Question:
Is giving away one’s bank card and password to someone enough for tamleek to take place? Or he has to retrieve the money? Anyone?
What if someone gives me the key to his safe and tells me to take all the money in it, will this be considered tamleek?
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful
Answer:
Zakah is one of the obligations due upon every Muslim who is an adult, sane and free1, they must also be in possession of wealth which meets the minimum nisab level and be in possession of that wealth for a year.
One should deduct their necessities, such as rent and living costs, there is no zakat upon property that a person lives in and furniture therein, as well as clothes2 and any other necessity that they need day to day from their wealth.
Thereafter one of the primary conditions of zakat is tamleek3, this is to hand over the wealth unconditionally and permanently. Although this should be in the form of money, which is preferred, this can be done in the form of items which are of the value that needs to be given away in zakat.4 5
Based on this, if one was to hand over a card with the password, this would fulfil the conditions of tamleek and therefore zakat, as will handing someone the keys to a safe and instructing them to take the money.
Only Allah (عز و جل) knows best.
Written by Maulana Mamunur Hussain
Checked and approved by Mufti Mohammed Tosir Miah
Darul Ifta Birmingham
1 Mukhtasar al-Qudoori (DKI, pg 51)
الزكاة: واجبة على الحر المسلم البالغ العاقل إذا ملك نصابا ملكا تاما وحال عليه الحول وليس على صبي ولا مجنون وال مكاتب زكاة
2 Mukhtasar al-Qudoori (DKI, pg 51)
ومن كان عليه دين يحيط فلا زكاة عليه
وإن كان ماله أكثر من الدين زكى الفاضل إذا بلغ نصابا وليس في دور السكنى وثياب البدن وأثاث المنازل ودواب الركوب وعبيد الخدمة وسلاح الاستعمال زكاة
3 Al-Bahr al-Ra’iq (Dar al-Kutub al-Islami, vol 2, pg 216)
لِأَنَّ الزَّكَاةَ يَجِبُ فِيهَا تَمْلِيكُ الْمَالِ
4 Al-Bahr al-Ra’iq (Dar al-Kutub al-Islami, vol 2, pg 244)
فَلَوْ أَدَّى مِنْ خِلَافِ جِنْسِهِ تُعْتَبَرُ الْقِيمَةُ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ
5 Radd al-Muhtar (DKI, vol 2, pg 297)
وَأَجْمَعُوا أَنَّهُ لَوْ أَدَّى مِنْ خِلَافِ جِنْسِهِ اُعْتُبِرَتْ الْقِيمَةُ
