Question Summary:
Is Zakaat due on land bought with intention to sell in future?

Question Detail:

Dear Brother AoA. I have following two questions and request you for my knowledge to provide me certain islamic references for your answers.
Q1 - I have purchased Land with the intention to sell it in the future at higher price. The time period to sell the land was not fixed in my mind. I has already been 4 years since I purchased the land and still there is no fixed period in mind when to sell it. Should I pay Zakat on it every year or only once when I will sell it ?
 
Q2 - I have purchased the land with the intention to sell it in furture at higher price. The time period to sell the land was not fixed in my mind. After 4 years since I purchased the land, now I am also thinking the possibility to construct shops on that land and give them on rent. However, I am not decisive. Should I pay Zakat on such land every year ? 

Answer :

In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
If land is purchased with the intention of selling it, it becomes stock-in-trade and zakaat will be due on it every year[1].
In the second situation, when you bought the land with the intention of re selling it, it became stock-in-trade and zakaat is due on it every year. However when you terminate your intention to resell the land and your intention changes to constructing shops and renting them out, then you will not pay zakaat on the land. In fact zakaat will be due on the rental received from the land if it reaches the nisaab (threshold) of zakaat.[2]
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Aboobakr Siddeeq bin Mufti Amjad Mohammad
Student Darul Iftaa
Azaadville, JHB, South Africa
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.