Funds for which zakat is due :
Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, enjoined zakat in many forms. And they are as follows:
1) The two coins, which are gold and silver.
Zakat is due on this money, whether it is bullion or minted, or in the form of utensils. The nisab for gold is twenty Mithqal. As for silver, it is two hundred dirhams. Zakat is due in the amount of a quarter of a tenth. i.e. 2.50%.
2) Zakat on crops and fruits:
Evidence for the obligation of zakat on it is the saying of God Almighty:
﴿يا أَيُّهَا الَّذينَ آمَنوا أَنفِقوا مِن طَيِّباتِ ما كَسَبتُم وَمِمّا أَخرَجنا لَكُم مِنَ الأَرضِ وَلا تَيَمَّمُوا الخَبيثَ مِنهُ تُنفِقونَ وَلَستُم بِآخِذيهِ إِلّا أَن تُغمِضوا فيهِ وَاعلَموا أَنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ حَميدٌ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٦٧]
“(267) O you who have believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth. And do not aim toward the defective therefrom, spending [from that] while you would not take it [yourself] except with closed eyes. And know that Allāh is Free of need and Praiseworthy.”
Zakat is obligatory on every fruit or grain that is measured or stored; Such as wheat, raisins, and others. With the condition that it reaches the nisab, and among the things on which zakat is not obligatory are of these types:
Fruits such as apples, vegetables such as potatoes, cotton, grass, honey, and what comes out of the sea such as fish. But if they are prepared for trade, then they are paid zakat as trade goods.
In order to pay zakat on it, it is required that it be something that is measured or saved, that it reaches the quorum, which is five wasqs. And that the quorum must be owned at the time of the obligation of zakat.
3) Trade merchandise :
Which is everything that the owner prepares for the purpose of trade and profit. And Zakat is obligatory on them when the nisab is reached and one year has passed.
Zakat is on the rent and not on the thing rented. And if the offers are on grain and fruits, then Zakat is given to grain, and everything is according to its type.
As for industrial companies such as medicines, iron and others; Zakat is obligatory on the net profits of one-fourth of a tenth.
And on commercial companies; Such as imports, exports and others, so zakat is due on them, like trade offers in the capital and net profits in the amount of one-fourth of a tenth.
As for the shares; If it is intended to continue owning, then zakat is due on profits only. And if it is for the purpose of trading and seeking profit, then zakat is due on all the shares and profits that he owns. And zakat is like zakat on trade offers in the amount of a quarter of a tenth.
4) Banknotes
which are treated as two currencies; Because it is considered a cash in its own. And zakat is due on it when it reaches the quorum of one of the two currencies, and when the year has passed on it, and zakat is due on it, whether it is for trade or otherwise.
Because God Almighty says:
﴿خُذ مِن أَموالِهِم صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُم وَتُزَكّيهِم بِها وَصَلِّ عَلَيهِم إِنَّ صَلاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَهُم وَاللَّهُ سَميعٌ عَليمٌ﴾ [التوبة: ١٠٣]
“(103) Take, [O Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [Allah’s blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.”
And in case that the owner of money wants to pay his zakat in the value of gold. Then he multiplies the nisab of gold – which is 85 grams – at the price of one gram. And the result is the nisab of banknotes, and a quarter of a tenth is taken out of it.
Or he divides the amount that is with him by the number forty, and the result is the amount that is obligatory in zakat.
Or he divides the money by the number ten, then divides the result by the number four. And the result is one-fourth of the tenth and the amount of the obligatory zakat.
As for the zakat on the monthly salary, it is better for a person if he saves something from it to give zakat on what he owns of money when a year passes on the first nisab he posses.
5) Zakat on The cattle :
which are Camels, cows, and sheep, and Zakat is due on them if they are grazing and not fed during one year or more, and if they reach the quorum.
Each of them shall be extracted according to its gender, and it shall be paid from the middle of it. So it is neither one of the best nor one of the worst of it.
But if it is intended for trade; It is given zakat as the merchandise of trade. But if it is for milk and offspring and its owner feeds it, then it is not zakatable.
The minimum quorum for camels is five, cows are thirty, and sheep are forty.
6) Zakat of Metals:
It is everything that comes out of the earth and has value like rubies, gold, silver, and others. Zakat of metals is paid after they have been refined and cast. And zakat is a quarter of a tenth if it reaches the nisab.
The opinion of the majority of scholars is that the passage of the year is not required.
Types of Zakat recipients:
Allah, the Mighty and Sublime, has imposed zakat for eight categories. And they are as follows:
1-The poor:
They are the ones who do not find enough food and money for themselves and their families.
Poverty varies according to time and place because the cost of living differs according to them.
2-The needy:
They are those who find half or more of their sufficiency. And the word poor if it is singularly includes the needy. As well as vice versa, and if they are combined, each of them has a meaning.
3-Those working on it:
They are the ones in charge of collecting, preserving or distributing zakat funds. Provided that they do not have a salary from the state, and everyone who works in zakat is included with them.
4-The people whose hearts are attracted to Islam :
And they are the obeyed masters of their people. And they may be Muslims or non-Muslims.
The Muslims, if they are of weak faith, are given to encourage and strengthen them. And they may be given to encourage their non-Muslim counterparts to convert to Islam.
As for non-Muslims, they may be given to encourage them to convert to Islam, or to stop their evil from Muslims.
The Hanafis and Malikis are of the opinion that not giving a non-Muslim anything of zakat to reconcile his heart. Because that was at the beginning of Islam.
5-In the neck:
They are the slaves and the clerks, so they are given to free their necks, and the prisoner who is with the polytheists is included in that.
6-The debtors:
They are the owners of debts – the debtors -, and the debtor may be in debt to himself; He is given from zakat on the condition that he is a Muslim, and he has a current debt that he cannot pay. And he may be in debt to someone else; Like someone who borrows for security, then he is given from zakat on the condition of his insolvency.
And whoever is in debt to reconcile the relationship, he is given from the zakat, whether he is poor or rich. This is an encouragement to goodness and enjoining good.
7-For God’s sake:
They are the invaders and the Mujahideen, and they are given from zakat on the condition that they do not have a salary, or they have a salary that is not enough for them, and they are given what suffices them to prepare for the invasion.
This includes the callers to God – SWT – and the teachers of His Book, and students of knowledge, as well as the poor pilgrim. He is given from zakat if he is poor to perform Hajj.
8-Ibn al-Sabeel:
He is the traveler who has been cut off from his country and his money, and he does not have enough money to reach them. And the person who is in his country and wants to travel for the sake of obedience or interest enters in this aspect.
What confirms that zakat is restricted to the previous categories is the words of God Almighty:
﴿إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقاتُ لِلفُقَراءِ وَالمَساكينِ وَالعامِلينَ عَلَيها وَالمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلوبُهُم وَفِي الرِّقابِ وَالغارِمينَ وَفي سَبيلِ اللَّهِ وَابنِ السَّبيلِ فَريضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَليمٌ حَكيمٌ﴾ [التوبة: ٦٠]
