Foundations · The Five Pillars of Islam

Zakat Regulations and Scenarios

Understanding rules for zakat distribution and obligations in various situations.

10 questions · Easy · about 5 minutes

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1. Who may distribute zakah on hidden wealth, such as gold, silver, trade goods, and zakat al-fitr?

  • Only the ruler or their representative.
  • Only a mosque imam.
  • The owner of the wealth. (correct answer)
  • Anyone who asks for it.

Why

The owner may distribute zakah on hidden wealth themselves. They should make sure that the zakah reaches those who are entitled to receive it.

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2. If zakah is due but someone does not have cash available to pay it immediately, what may they do?

  • Delay payment until they have cash, or pay in installments when able. (correct answer)
  • Take out a loan, because zakah must always be paid in one payment.
  • Skip zakah for that year.
  • Wait until Ramadan even if they already have cash.

Why

If zakah is due but a person does not have cash available, they may delay payment until they have cash or pay it in installments as they are able. They do not have to take out a loan.

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3. Can someone pay zakah on behalf of another person without that person’s permission?

  • Yes, as long as the payer has good intentions.
  • No, because the owner must give permission and intend zakah. (correct answer)
  • Yes, if the owner usually forgets to pay.
  • Only if the payer is a close family member.

Why

Zakah is an act of worship and requires intention. Someone else cannot validly pay zakah on behalf of the owner unless the owner gives permission, because that permission shows the owner’s intention.

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4. Can someone forgive a loan they gave to another person and count it as their zakah?

  • Yes, forgiving any loan automatically counts as zakah.
  • No, a loan cannot simply be waived and counted as zakah. (correct answer)
  • Yes, but only if the borrower is in debt.
  • Only if the loan was given many years ago.

Why

If someone lent money to another person, they cannot simply cancel that debt and count it as zakah. The article states that this is not permissible according to the majority of scholars.

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5. If a father gives money to his child, and the child has full possession of the nisab for one full hijri year, is zakah due on that money?

  • Yes, because the child owns and controls the money. (correct answer)
  • No, because money from a father is never subject to zakah.
  • Only if the child intended to use it for business.
  • Only if the father tells the child to pay zakah.

Why

Money given by a father to his child becomes the child’s property if the child has full possession and control of it. If it reaches the nisab and one full hijri year passes, zakah is due.

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6. If paying zakah on invested wealth will affect someone’s family spending or require taking from the capital, does that remove the obligation?

  • Yes, zakah is waived whenever family expenses are affected.
  • Yes, zakah is only due from extra profit.
  • No, this does not change the ruling that zakah is due. (correct answer)
  • No, but zakah should be paid only after the investment ends.

Why

If invested wealth reaches the nisab and one year has passed, zakah is due on the capital and profit. The fact that paying zakah may affect family spending or require taking from the capital does not change the ruling.

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7. Is zakah due on palm-tree seedlings themselves?

  • Yes, as soon as the seedlings grow.
  • Yes, whenever the tree was planted for seedlings.
  • No, but if they are sold for cash and the money is kept for a full hijri year, zakah becomes due on the money. (correct answer)
  • No, even if they are sold and the money is kept for years.

Why

There is no zakah on the seedlings themselves. But if the seedlings are sold for cash and that money is kept for an entire hijri year, zakah becomes due on the money.

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8. Is zakah due on dates from palm trees in a home garden if the fruit reaches the nisab?

  • Yes, whether the dates are eaten, gifted, or sold. (correct answer)
  • No, because the trees are in a home garden.
  • Only if all the dates are sold.
  • Only if none of the dates are eaten.

Why

Zakah is due on fruit from palm trees in people’s gardens if it reaches the nisab. Eating some, giving some as gifts, or selling some does not cancel the obligation.

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9. What is the zakah rate for dates from palm trees that are irrigated with effort and cost?

  • One-tenth.
  • One-quarter.
  • It depends only on the market price.
  • Half of one-tenth. (correct answer)

Why

For crops watered by rain or springs, the zakah rate is one-tenth. But for crops watered by bringing water to them, which involves effort and cost, the rate is half of one-tenth.

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10. When calculating zakah on trade goods, how should their value be worked out?

  • Based on the price for which they are sold at the end of the year. (correct answer)
  • Based on the original purchase price.
  • Based only on the profit made during the year.
  • Based on the average price from previous years.

Why

Trade goods should be valued at the end of the year according to the price for which they are sold, not the price for which they were originally bought. Wholesale sellers use wholesale price, and retail sellers use retail price.

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A note on these answers

These questions are for learning and self-testing. Explanations are drawn from the sources linked on each question and are not a fatwa. For a ruling on your own circumstances, please consult a qualified scholar.

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