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THE TAXABLE LIMIT (NIṢĀB) FOR GOLD → ← CONDITIONS FOR ZAKAT TO BECOME OBLIGATORY (WĀJIB)

ZAKAT OF WHEAT, BARLEY, AND RAISINS

Ruling 1880. Zakat of wheat, barley, dates, and raisins becomes obligatory when their quantity reaches the niṣāb, which is 300 ṣāʿs or approximately 847 kilograms.[1]

Ruling 1881. If before giving zakat that is due on grapes, dates, wheat, and barley, a person and members of his family consume them, or, for example, he gives them to a poor person (faqīr) without the intention of giving zakat, he must give zakat on the quantity that was consumed or given.

Ruling 1882. If the owner of some wheat, barley, dates, or grapes dies after zakat on them has become obligatory, the zakat on them must be given from his estate. However, if he dies before zakat on them becomes obligatory, each of the heirs whose share reaches the niṣāb must give zakat on their share.

Ruling 1883. A person who has been appointed by a fully qualified jurist (al‑ḥākim al‑sharʿī) to collect zakat can ask for it at the time when grain is threshed and separated from the chaff, and when dates and grapes become dry. If the owner does not give it and the thing on which zakat has become obligatory perishes, the owner must give compensation for it.

Ruling 1884. If zakat becomes obligatory on a date tree, grapevine, or crop of wheat or barley after a person becomes the owner of them, he must give it.

Ruling 1885. After zakat becomes obligatory on wheat, barley, dates, and grapes, if one sells the crop and trees, the seller must give the zakat on them; and in the event that he does so, it is not obligatory for the buyer.

Ruling 1886. If a person buys wheat, barley, dates, or grapes, and he knows that the seller has given zakat on them, or he doubts whether the seller has given zakat on them or not, then zakat is not obligatory for him; but if he knows that the seller has not given zakat on them, he must give it. However, if the seller has cheated him, he can claim the amount of zakat he gave from the seller after giving the zakat.

Ruling 1887. If the weight of wheat, barley, dates, or grapes when they are wet reaches the niṣāb and reduces to below the niṣāb when they become dry, then zakat on them is not obligatory.

Ruling 1888. If a person consumes wheat, barley, or dates before the time they become dry, in the event that their weight, when dry, reaches the niṣāb, he must give zakat on them.

Ruling 1889. Dates are of three kinds:

1.
dates that are dried; the rule (ḥukm) of zakat for this type was mentioned earlier;

2.
dates that are in the process of becoming edible ruṭab [soft, moist dates];

3.
dates that are eaten when they are unripe (khalāl).

With regard to the second kind, in the event that their weight when dry reaches the niṣāb, the recommended precaution (al‑iḥtiyāṭ al‑mustaḥabb) is that one should give zakat on them. As for the third kind, what is apparent (ẓāhir)[2] is that zakat is not obligatory on them.

Ruling 1890. Wheat, barley, dates, and raisins on which zakat has been given are not liable for zakat again even if they remain with a person for some years.

Ruling 1891. If wheat, barley, dates, or grapes are irrigated by rain or a stream, or if like in Egypt, crops use the moisture in the earth, the zakat on them is one-tenth [10%] of them. If they are watered by buckets of water or by means of a pump and suchlike, then the zakat on them is one-twentieth [5%].

Ruling 1892. If wheat, barley, dates, or grapes are irrigated by both rain and buckets of water and suchlike, in the event that it is commonly considered that their irrigation is by means of buckets of water and suchlike, the zakat on them is one-twentieth [5%]. If it is commonly considered that their irrigation is by means of a stream or rain, then the zakat on them is one-tenth [10%]. And if it is such that it is commonly considered that their irrigation is by both means, then the zakat on them is three-fortieths [7.5%].

Ruling 1893. In the event that one doubts whether it would be commonly considered that their irrigation is by both means or, for example, by rain, then it is sufficient if he gives three-fortieths [7.5%].

Ruling 1894. If a person doubts whether it would be commonly considered that their irrigation is by both means or by means of buckets of water and suchlike, it is sufficient to give one-twentieth [5%]. The same applies if he deems it probable that it would be commonly considered that their irrigation is by rain.

Ruling 1895. If wheat, barley, dates, or grapes are watered by rain and by a stream, and if they do not need buckets of water and suchlike but are also irrigated by means of buckets of water nevertheless, and if the buckets of water do not help produce an increase in crop, then the zakat on them is one-tenth [10%]. And if they are irrigated by buckets of water and suchlike and do not need stream or rainwater, but they are also watered by a stream and rainwater nevertheless, and if the stream and rainwater do not help produce an increase in crop, then the zakat on them is one-twentieth [5%].

Ruling 1896. If a crop is irrigated by buckets of water and suchlike and crops on the adjacent land utilise the moisture from that land and do not need to be irrigated, then the zakat on the crops that are irrigated by buckets of water is one-twentieth [5%], and the zakat on the crops on the adjacent land is, based on obligatory precaution, one-tenth [10%].

Ruling 1897. Expenses incurred in the growing of wheat, barley, dates, or grapes cannot be deducted from the produce and then the niṣāb calculated. Therefore, if any of them reaches the niṣāb before accounting for the expenses, zakat must be given on it.

Ruling 1898. The seeds that a person uses in his farming – irrespective of whether they are his own or he buys them – cannot be deducted from the produce and then the niṣāb calculated; instead, he must calculate the niṣāb having accounted for the entire produce.

Ruling 1899. It is not obligatory to give zakat on the portion the government takes from the produce itself. For example, if the produce is 2000 kilograms and the government takes 100 kilograms in tax, then zakat is obligatory on only 1900 kilograms.

Ruling 1900. Based on obligatory precaution, a person cannot deduct the expenses he incurs from the produce before or after zakat has become due and give zakat on only what remains.

Ruling 1901. After zakat has become due, a person cannot deduct the expenses he incurs from the produce with respect to the amount of zakat that must be given. And based on obligatory precaution, [he cannot do this] even if he has obtained authorisation from a fully qualified jurist or his representative (wakīl) to incur those expenses.

Ruling 1902. It is not obligatory to wait until wheat and barley are ready for threshing, or until grapes and dates become dry, and then give zakat; rather, once zakat becomes obligatory, it is permitted (jāʾiz) to calculate the value of zakat and give the value of it with the intention of zakat.

Ruling 1903. After zakat becomes due, a person can submit the actual crop, dates, or grapes, before it is harvested or picked, to someone entitled to receive it or a fully qualified jurist, or a representative of theirs, in the form of joint ownership (mushāʿ) and after that share the expenses.

Ruling 1904. In case the owner submits the actual crop, dates, or grapes to a fully qualified jurist or to someone entitled to receive it, or to their representative, it is not necessary for him to look after it by way of joint ownership for free; rather, he can charge rent for it staying on his land until the time of their harvest or until they have become dry.

Ruling 1905. If a person owns wheat, barley, dates, or grapes in various towns which have harvesting times that differ, and if the crops or fruits are not acquired simultaneously but are nevertheless considered to be the produce of one year, then in the event that the first thing to ripen reaches the niṣāb, he must give zakat on it when it ripens and on the rest whenever they are acquired. However, if what ripens first does not reach the niṣāb, he must wait until the rest ripens; if the combined produce reaches the niṣāb, zakat is obligatory on it, and if it does not reach the niṣāb, zakat is not obligatory on it.

Ruling 1906. If a date tree or grapevine bears fruit twice a year, and if the combined total of the fruit reaches the niṣāb, then based on obligatory precaution, zakat is obligatory on it.

Ruling 1907. If a person possesses a quantity of fresh dates or grapes that would reach the niṣāb if they were dry, there is no problem if he gives – with the intention og zakat – an amount of the fresh dates or grapes that were they to be dry would equal the amount of zakat obligatory for him.

Ruling 1908. If the zakat on dried dates or raisins is obligatory for a person, he cannot give their zakat in the form of fresh dates or grapes. In fact, even if he calculates the value of the produce that he must give as zakat and then gives grapes, fresh dates, raisins, or even other dried dates equal to that value in payment for the zakat, it is problematic (maḥall al‑ishkāl) [i.e. based on obligatory precaution, he cannot do this].[3] Similarly, if the zakat on fresh dates or grapes is obligatory for him, he cannot give their zakat in the form of dried dates or raisins. And even if he gives other dates or grapes, albeit fresh ones, in payment for the value of the produce, it is also problematic [i.e. based on obligatory precaution, he cannot do this either].

Ruling 1909. With regard to someone who has a debt and possesses the actual property on which zakat has become obligatory, if he dies, the entire zakat must be given from the property on which zakat has become obligatory, and then the debt must be repaid. However, if he is liable to pay a debt of zakat [as opposed to his actual property having become liable for zakat], then this debt is like his other debts.[4]

Ruling 1910. With regard to someone who has a debt but possesses wheat, barley, dates, or grapes, if he dies and his inheritors pay his debt from some other wealth before zakat on these items becomes obligatory, then the inheritor whose share reaches the niṣāb must give zakat on it. If the debt is not paid before zakat on these items becomes obligatory, in the event that the property of the deceased is sufficient only to repay his debt, it is not obligatory to give zakat. However, if the property of the deceased is more than his debt, in the event that his debt is such that if they wanted to repay it they would need to pay the creditor an amount from the wheat, barley, dates and grapes, then what they give to the creditor is not liable for zakat. As for the rest of the property, the inheritor whose share reaches the niṣāb must give zakat on it.

Ruling 1911. If some of the wheat, barley, dates, and raisins on which zakat has become obligatory is of superior quality and some of it is of inferior quality, the obligatory precaution is that one must not use inferior quality produce to give zakat that is due on the superior quality produce.

[1] A ṣāʿ is a measure of weight equivalent to 2.823 kilograms.

[2] For practical purposes in jurisprudential rulings, expressing an ‘apparent’ ruling equates to giving a fatwa.

[3] As mentioned in Ruling 6, the term ‘problematic’ (maḥall al‑ishkāl) amounts to saying the ruling is based on obligatory precaution.

[4] This means that if the combined total of his zakat debt and his other debts is equal to or less than his estate, his zakat debt and his other debts must be repaid. However, if the combined total of his zakat debt and his other debts is more than his estate, his estate must be proportionally divided between those entitled to receive zakat and his creditors.
THE TAXABLE LIMIT (NIṢĀB) FOR GOLD → ← CONDITIONS FOR ZAKAT TO BECOME OBLIGATORY (WĀJIB)
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