رسالتان موجزتان في الزكاة والصيام -- 1
All praise is due to Allah Alone, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet, and upon his family and Companions. To proceed:
The motivation for writing this speech is to offer advice and remind about the obligation of Zakah, which many Muslims have neglected and not fulfilled in the prescribed manner, despite its great importance and being one of the five pillars of Islam without which its structure cannot stand, as per the Hadīth of the Prophet (ﷺ): “Islam is built upon five pillars: testifying that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establishing prayer, giving Zakah, fasting Ramadan, and performing Hajj to the House.” [Its authenticity is agreed upon]
The imposition of Zakah on Muslims is one of the most evident virtues of Islam, demonstrating its care for the affairs of its followers due to its numerous benefits and the dire need of the poor Muslims for it.
Among its benefits is strengthening bonds of affection between the rich and the poor, for souls are naturally inclined to love those who do good to them.
Among its benefits: purifying and refining the soul, distancing it from the traits of stinginess and miserliness, as the Noble Qur'an alludes to this meaning in His Almighty saying: {Take charity from their wealth [O Prophet] to cleanse and purify them.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 103]
Among them are: training the Muslim with qualities of generosity, kindness, and compassion towards those in need.
And among them are: seeking blessing, increase, and recompense from Allah, as He Almighty says: {Whatever you spend in charity, He will compensate for it, for He is the Best of Providers.} [Surat Saba’: 39] And in the authentic Hadīth, the Prophet (ﷺ) said: “Allah says: “O son of Adam, spend, and We will spend on you...” And there are numerous other benefits.
A stern warning has been issued regarding those who are stingy with it or negligent in giving it. Allah Almighty says: {Those who hoard gold and silver and do not spend it in the way of Allah, give them tidings of a painful punishment. On the Day when their treasures will be heated up in the Fire of Hell, and their foreheads, sides and backs will be branded therewith. [They will be told]: “This is what you hoarded for yourselves; so taste [the punishment of] what you used to hoard.”} [Surat at-Tawbah: 34-35] Every wealth whose Zakah is not paid is a treasure with which its owner will be punished on the Day of Judgment, as indicated by the authentic Hadīth from the Prophet (ﷺ), who said: “There is no owner of gold or silver who does not pay what is due on it except that on the Day of Judgment they will be made for him sheets of fire and will be heated in the fire of Hell. His side, forehead, and back will be branded with them. Whenever they cool down, they will be heated again on a day the length of which is fifty thousand years, until judgment is made among the creation, and he will be shown his path, either to Paradise or Hellfire.”
The Prophet (ﷺ) then mentioned the owner of camels, cows, and sheep who does not pay their Zakah, and he informed that he will be tormented with them on the Day of Judgment.
The Prophet (ﷺ) is also authentically reported to have said: “Whoever is made wealthy by Allah and does not pay the Zakah of his wealth, his wealth will be made to appear to him as a bald-headed snake with two black spots over its eyes. It will encircle his neck on the Day of Judgment, and it will seize his jaws and say: ‘I am your wealth; I am your treasure.’” Then, the Prophet (ﷺ) recited the verse: {Those who greedily withhold what Allah has given them of His grace, should not think that it is good for them, rather it is bad for them; their necks will be chained by what they greedily withheld on the Day of Resurrection.} [Surat Āl ‘Imrān: 180]
Zakah is obligatory on four categories: the produce of the earth, including grains and fruits; Sā’imah (freely-grazing) livestock; gold and silver; and merchandise.
Each of these four categories has a specific Nisāb (minimum Zakatable amount), below which Zakah is not obligatory. The Nisāb for grains and fruits is five Wasqs, with each Wasq being sixty Sā‘s according to the Sā‘ of the Prophet (ﷺ). This applies to dates, raisins, wheat, rice, barley, and similar items, totaling three hundred Sā‘s according to the Sā‘ of the Prophet (ﷺ), which is equivalent to four handfuls by the hands of a man of average build when both hands are full.
One-tenth is due if the date palms and crops are irrigated without expenses, i.e., by rain, rivers, flowing springs, and the like.
If they are irrigated with expenses and labor, such as by water-lifting devices and machines, then half of one-tenth is due, as reported in an authentic Hadīth from the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ).
As for the Nisāb of freely-grazing camels, cows, and sheep, it is detailed in the authentic Hadīths of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). Those who wish to know about it can ask the people of knowledge. Were it not for intending brevity, we would have mentioned it for completion of benefit.
The Nisāb of silver is one hundred and forty Mithqāls, and its amount in Saudi Arabian dirhams is fifty-six riyals.
The Nisāb of gold is twenty Mithqāls, which is equivalent to 11 Saudi pounds and 3 sevenths of a pound, or 92 grams. Zakah on them is one-fourth of one-tenth, or 2.5%, for anyone who possesses the Nisāb of either or both, and a Hawl (lunar year) has passed over it.
Profit is subordinate to the principal and does not require a new year, just as the produce of freely-grazing livestock is subordinate to its principal and does not require a new year if its principal amounts to the Nisāb.
Banknotes, which people use today, whether called dirham, dinar, dollar, or any other name, take the same ruling as gold and silver. If their value reaches the Nisāb of silver or gold, and a year has passed, Zakah becomes due on them.
Women's jewelry made of gold or silver is treated like money, especially if it reaches the Nisāb and a Hawl has elapsed. Zakah is due on it, even if it is intended for personal use or lending, according to the most correct of the two scholarly opinions, due to the general statement of the Prophet (ﷺ): “There is no owner of gold or silver who does not pay what is due on it except that on the Day of Judgment they will be made for him sheets of fire...” to the end of the aforementioned Hadīth.
And it was authentically reported that the Prophet (ﷺ) saw a woman wearing two gold bracelets, and he said: “Do you give Zakah of this?” She said: No. He said: “Would it please you that Allah adorns you with two bracelets of fire on the Day of Judgment because of them?” So, she threw them away and said: “They are for Allah and His Messenger.” [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd and An-Nasā’i with a Hasan (sound) Isnād (chain of narration)]
It is authentically reported that ’Umm Salamah (may Allah be pleased with her) used to wear gold ornaments and said: “O Messenger of Allah, is this hoarded wealth?” He replied: “Whatever reaches the amount liable for Zakah and its Zakah is paid is not considered hoarded wealth.” There are other Hadīths in this regard.
As for the commercial goods, which are the items prepared for sale, they should be evaluated at the end of the year, and a quarter of a tenth of their value should be given, whether their value is equal to, more than, or less than their price, as per the Hadīth of Samurah, who reported: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to command us to give charity from what we prepare for sale. [Narrated by Abu Dāwūd]
This includes lands prepared for sale, buildings, cars, water-lifting machines, and other types of goods meant for sale.
Real estates prepared for renting, not for sale, are subject to Zakah on their rental income if a lunar year passes over it, but not on the properties themselves, as they are not intended for sale. Similarly, private and rental cars are not subject to Zakah if they are not prepared for sale, but rather purchased by their owner for personal use.
If the owner of a taxi or anyone else accumulates money that reaches the Nisāb, Zakah is obligatory on it with the elapse of a lunar year, regardless of whether it was intended for expenses, marriage, purchasing property, settling a debt, or any other purpose, due to the generality of the Shar‘i proofs indicating the obligation of Zakah in such cases.
Similarly, the wealth of orphans and the insane is subject to Zakah, according to the majority of scholars if it reaches the Nisāb and a year has passed. Their guardians must pay it with the intention of doing so on their behalf at the completion of the year, due to the general indication of the evidence, such as the statement of the Prophet (ﷺ) in the Hadīth of Mu‘ādh (may Allah be pleased with him) when he sent him to the people of Yemen: “Allah has enjoined upon them a charity in their wealth, to be taken from their rich and given to their poor.”
Zakah is the right of Allah, and it is not permissible to show favoritism in it to those who do not deserve it, nor for a person to use it to bring benefit to himself or ward off harm, nor to protect his wealth or avert blame. Rather, a Muslim must pay his Zakah to those who are entitled to it, as they are its rightful recipients, not for any other purpose, with a willing heart and sincerity to Allah in this; so that his liability is absolved, and he deserves great reward and recompense.
Allah Almighty clarifies in His Noble Book the categories of Zakah recipients, saying: {Alms [i.e., Zakah] is only for the poor and the needy; those in charge of it; those whose hearts may be attracted [to Islam]; for freeing those in bondage; for those in debt; for the cause of Allah; and for [the stranded] traveler–as ordained by Allah, for Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.} [Surat at-Tawbah: 60]
In the conclusion of this noble verse with these two great names is a reminder from Allah Almighty to His servants that He is the All-Knowing of the conditions of His servants: who among them deserves charity and who does not. He is the All-Wise in His legislation and decree, putting things only in their appropriate places, even if some of the secrets of His wisdom are hidden from some people; so that the servants may find reassurance in His legislation and submit to His judgment.
We ask Allah Almighty to guide us and the Muslims to understand His religion properly, to be sincere in our dealings with Him, to hasten towards what pleases Him, and to be away from what incurs His wrath. Indeed, He is All-Hearing and Ever-Near!