ZAKAH,
the Third Pillar of Islam
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Zakah is Fardh (obligatory) upon a person who possesses
the following five:
1.
The person is a Muslim
2. The person is free i.e. not a slave
3. The person is sane
4. The person is mature i.e. has reached the age of 15 or,
in the case of a male, has experienced a wet dream before
the mentioned age. And in the case of a female has experienced
menses or a wet dream before this age.
5. The person is the complete owner of such wealth which
consists of the following four things:
1.
The wealth is equal to the Nisab i.e. a specific amount
fixed by the Shariah upon which Zakah becomes obligatory.
2. It is beyond the owner’s needs and necessities. Examples
of necessities are clothes, furniture, utensils, a home,
a car etc.
3.
It is free from such debt which would be equal or even more
than the amount of wealth which is currently in the owner’s
possession.
4. It has the tendency to increase (whether in value or
physically) such as gold, silver, cash, inventory, livestock
(i.e. cattle, goats, sheep) camels and horses.
Once
this particular individual becomes the owner of the mentioned
type of wealth, he will be obliged to pay its Zakah after
a complete LUNAR year elapses from the day this wealth came
into his possession. The paying of Zakah before the year
is completed is an optional act and is permissible according
to the Shariah.
ZAKAH
OF GOLD
Zakah becomes compulsory on gold within one’s possession
when it amounts to 87.84 gm or more. Once a lunar year has
elapsed from the day of possession, the owner will be obliged
to give 2.5% of that gold or its equivalent in cash from
the total amount of gold, in Zakah. It should be borne in
mind that all gold objects will be accounted for while calculating
the total amount of gold within ones possession e.g. raw
gold, gold nuggets, gold jewelry, gold utensils etc.
ZAKAH
OF SILVER
Zakah becomes compulsory on silver within one’s possession
when it amounts to 612.36 gm or more. Once a lunar year
has been completed from the day this silver came within
the owner’s possession, the owner will be required to pay
2.5 % of that silver or its equal value in cash from the
total amount, in Zakah. Likewise, similar to the Zakah of
gold, all silver objects will be accounted for while calculating
the total amount of silver within one’s possession.
ZAKAH
OF INVENTORY (stock)
A tradesman will assess his inventory based on the Nisab.
Thereafter he will calculate the Zakah by deducting 2.5%
and discharge it accordingly in order to benefit the needy
even more.
ZAKAH
OF SAVINGS
A person with savings will calculate the Zakah that is due
from it by deducting 2.5%.
WHO
IS ENTITLED TO ZAKAH?
In the light of the 60th verse of Surah at-Tawbah, we have
been instructed to pay/discharge Zakah only to the following
people:
1. A poor person who has very little wealth to the extent
that it is less than the ‘Nisab’.
2. A needy person who has no wealth at all.
3. A person who has been employed to collect Zakah for the
Islamic state. (in an Islamic country such a person’s wages
for his services will be paid to him from the Zakah fund).
4. A person whose heart needs to become connected to the
religion of Islam.
5. A slave who has agreed to pay to his/her master a fixed
amount of money in return for their freedom.
6. A person who is in debt and does not have enough funds
to pay off that debt.
7. A person who intends to go in the path of Allah but does
not possess the required funds for it.
8. A traveler who does not have sufficient money to reach
home with.
All
of the above must be Muslims and cannot be from the descendants
or ascendants whether paternal or maternal of the person
paying Zakah.
These
are some of the basic rulings of Zakah. For more details
regarding the regulations of Zakah you are encouraged to
refer to ‘Heavenly Ornaments’ (Bahishti Zewar) by Ml Ashraf
Ali Thanwi RA or Ma’ariful Quran vol. 4 under verse 60 of
Surah at-Tawbah by Sh. Mufti Muhammad Shafi RA.