Question Summary:
Discharge of Zakāt Question Detail:
This is with regards to Zakath. I did not give zakath in 2012 as i did not have savings. All expenses were taken care by my parents. Alhumdillah. I have some amount of fixed deposit in a bank in India and jewellery of my spouse kept in Bank locker.
This Year during Ramadan 2013, I did not pay zakath as i had expenses beyond my monthly salary.
I feel heavy and realise that am unable to clear my debts.
I wish to pay off the zakath now in the best possible way.
Kindly advise me in this regard. i have some money and jewellery in a bank in India.
Here in KSA, Am having few debts to be cleared. Please guide me on paying the zakath.
Answer :
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In principle for a person to be required to discharge zakāt the following conditions must be fulfilled:
The net amount is equal to or greater than nisāb.
Exactly one lunar year has passed since he was in possession of that wealth.
The following are clarifications of the above used terms:
A nisāb amount of wealth is the amount that is equivalent to 612.36 grams of silver or its equivalent value in your local currency.
The net amount of wealth is the wealth that remains after deducting all of one’s expenses and all of one’s debts.
To determine the net amount of wealth in your personal ownership you only take into account the following items:
Cash, gold and silver. (For gold, you consider the nisāb of 87.48 grams)
Goods you are trading in, if were to do business
As such you don’t take into consideration personal belongings such as your clothes, your house, your car or even jewellery. (i.e. diamonds, pearls, etc. but you must pay zakah on jewellery made of gold and silver)
Lastly, you only take into consideration an exact lunar year as described above. If your zakāt year started during Ramadān, then you will be required to evaluate the conditions of zakāt only when next Ramadān comes in. If the zakāt year started in Muharram, then next Muharram and so on.
During this entire duration, you don’t have to worry about the amount decreasing or increasing. You only re-evaluate how much you exactly have after a lunar year has passed. If you have less than nisāb, then you are not required to pay zakāt.
Therefore, to conclude and to answer your question, if the money in the bank of India you are referring to, together with any other wealth you may have in your possession fulfil these conditions, then you will be required to pay zakah (i.e. 2.5% of your wealth)
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Khalil Johnson
Student Darul Iftaa
Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
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