Mu' meneen Brothers and Sisters,

As Salaam Aleikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)

 

One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:

AAsalamu Alai Kum V.R.V.B.

 

**RAMADAN KAREEM** RAMADAN MUBARAK**

 

Thanks a lot for your emails.

 

My question is

 

1) Does I am eligible for Zakah or not...?  Becuase I have Personal Loan's and Bank Loan as well.

2) I am working and my salary is not enough to clear the Loans, very hardly I can feed my children & meet my & my family daily requirements & necessities.

3) My Wife has some Gold right now, but she don't know about my loans & she is asking for to pay Zakah for her gold.

4) Does Zakah for life also compuslory for me to pay,, if so how much for persoanl life and gold.

Please advise what I have to do..

Your immedatie respond will be highly apprecaited.

 

(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)

 

Answer:

 

Nisab for Zakah

In the name of Allah, We praise Him, seek His help and ask for His forgiveness. Whoever Allah guides none can misguide, and whoever He allows to fall astray, none can guide them aright. We bear witness that there is none worthy of worship but Allah Alone, and we bear witness that Muhammad (saws) is His slave-servant and the seal of His Messengers.

 

Ref: Who is eligible to pay ‘zakah’

If the total net worth of any believer (man, woman, or child) is more than the prescribed ‘nisaab’ of 7.5 ‘tolas’ of gold (app. 85 grams or app. Value US$2,100.00), then the person is liable to pay the obligatory annual ‘zakah’ of 2.5% on their excess wealth which has been in their possession for a full calendar year.

 

If the total net worth of any believer is less than the prescribed ‘nisaab’, he/she is not liable to pay any ‘zakah’ until their net worth exceeds the prescribed ‘nisaab’.

 

For the purpose of determining ‘zakah’, the ‘Net Excess Assets’ would be the current market value of all of one’s assets (properties, investments, jewelry, cash, etc.) except:

1. the value of the house/s one owns and actually lives in
2. the value of the car/vehicle one uses on a regular basis
3. the value of the furniture and fixtures one uses on a regular basis.

 

Thus regardless of how much loans one might have accumulated, if one’s net excess assets are above the prescribed ‘nisaab’, one would be liable to pay ‘zakah’ on their excess assets at the rate of 2.50% annually.

 

Ref: Who is eligible to receive ‘zakah’

Allah Says in the Holy Quran Chapter 9 Surah Taubah verse 60:

60      Alms are for the poor, and the needy, and those employed to administer the (funds), for those whose hearts have been (recently) reconciled (to the Truth), for those in bondage and in debt, in the Cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer: (thus is it) ordained by Allah and Allah is full of Knowledge and Wisdom.

 

Allah Subhanah has prescribed that ‘zakah’ should be paid to any of the above eight listed categories:

1. To the poor
2. To the needy
3. To those who are employed to administer the zakah funds
4. To those whose hearts have recently been reconciled to the Truth of Islam (new-muslims)
5. For those in bondage
6. For those in debt
7. In the Cause of Allah
8. To the way-farer or traveler

 

Allah Subhanah has Commanded and Guided the believers that ‘Zakah’ must be distributed to any of the above eight categories only; for all other categories, one may help them through voluntary and supererogatory charity or ‘sadaqah’ but not through ‘Zakah’ funds.

 

Q-1): Does I am eligible for Zakah or not...?  Becuase I have Personal Loan's and Bank Loan as well.

Q-2): I am working and my salary is not enough to clear the Loans, very hardly I can feed my children & meet my & my family daily requirements & necessities.

If one’s earnings are not enough to fulfill one’s basic necessities, one would come under ‘category-2’ of being amongst the ‘needy’ and they would be eligible to receive ‘zakah’ from their believing brethren.

 

Q-3): My Wife has some Gold right now, but she don't know about my loans & she is asking for to pay Zakah for her gold.

If the net excess assets of your wife are above the prescribed Shariah ‘nisaab’, then she would be liable to pay ‘zakah’ on the gold that she owns.  Although it remains the wife’s responsibility to pay her ‘zakah’ for the gold she owns, if her husband wishes to fulfill her ‘zakah’, there is absolutely no harm.

 

Q-4): Does Zakah for life also compuslory for me to pay,, if so how much for persoanl life and gold.

Respected brother, Allah and His Messenger (saws) have commanded and guided the believers who have been blessed with abundance to pay their annual ‘zakah’ on their net excess assets……to the best of our knowledge there is absolutely no such thing in Islam as paying ‘zakah’ for one’s life.  ‘Zakah’ is obligatory upon every believer whose net excess assets are above the prescribed ‘nisaab’.

 

If one’s net excess assets are valued less than the prescribed ‘nisaab’, one is not liable to pay any ‘zakah’.

 

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah’s Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me alone.  Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

 

Your brother and well wisher in Islam,

 

 

Burhan