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Session Details
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| Guest Name |
Dr. Monzer Kahf
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| Profession |
Scholar in Islamic Economics & Financial Expert
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| Subject |
Zakat al-Fitr and Financial Issues
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| Date |
Tuesday,Sep 15 ,2009
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Time |
Makkah
From...
14:00...To...
15:30
GMT
From... 11:00...To...12:30
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| Name |
Host
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| Answer |
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, the session has already started. You can submit your questions. Please, make your questions short and clear so as to help us answer all your questions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| Name |
Adam
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| Question |
S.A A course that runs only once a year and is important to my career in my opinion, will be running at Hajj time. Do I still have to go to Hajj this year, bearing in mind that I have enough money, health...etc?
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| Answer |
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
No, you may delay Haj till next year.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Ali
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| Question |
Salam alikom
My father passed away. He had made a joint bank account with me with most of his money. So after he died, legally the money is mine but I'm not sure if this is right from a religious point of view. So what should I do? Should I divide the money with other heirs?
Thanks
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| Answer |
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Of course, you must share all his money with other heirs in accordance with Shari'ah inheritance distribution. A joint account is merely a convenient measure so that a jointer can withdraw the money from the account instead of waiting until all the necessary papers and procedure of property transfer be done. All the money in this account that belonged to your father at the moment of his death, along with all other properties owned by him at that moment must be distributed according to Shari'ah to all heirs. In fact, all that became owned by all the heirs by the incidence of death.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Karim
- United States
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Assalam `alaykum,
Every year I pay zakat el mal in Ramadan by giving/sending it to my mother to distribute to poor relatives in my home country Algeria. Since I will be traveling next month insha' Allah, is it possible for me to take it with me while traveling and distribute it with 1 month delay?
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Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Yes, it is permissible. Delaying the payment for the purpose of carrying the due amount to needy relatives is permissible because it is a good reason and will increase the reward Insha'Allah
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Nada
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As per the Hanafi School, do I have to pay zakah on: 1) Residential plots that I buy out of my savings as an investment? If yes, would it be on historic value or market value? If it is market value, how does it account for periods where there is/might be slump?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
This is a new kind of investment that was not in practice when the Hanafi School came about some more than 1200 years ago.
Investment properties are subject to Zakah because they fall under the general definition of wealth (amwal) that are not assigned for personal or family use.
The Zakah is due on investment properties at the market value on the day of Zakah, that is the completion of hawl (354 days) after acquiring Nisab for the first time and same day of following years, every year at the rate of 2.5%. This is regardless of whether the market price goes down or up because this price determines how rich you are.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Karim
- United States
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| Profession |
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Assalam `alaykum,
I received an email from my local mosque in the US asking us to consider paying the zakat to finance scholarship for poor kids who can not pay for a new relatively Islamic school.
Here is a copy of the text:
" Zakat Scholarship Program - Our tuition is the lowest of any other private Islamic school I know of. Still, for some families, especially those with multiple children, paying it can be a challenge. For these families, As-Sabeel Academy provides a Financial Aid program through Zakat Scholarships that ease their tuition payments. Each family that qualifies must pay at least one third of their tuition, with the balance covered by those who contribute their Zakat to this program. Since many of you fulfill your Zakat obligations this month, please consider using some or all of it towards funding the education of someone who else could not afford attending a private Islamic School."
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Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
It is permissible to give Zakah to poor families and they pay it to any school as tuition for their children. This is a general rule as the payment of Zakah requires the condition of tamlik that means "what is paid must become a property of the recipient" a scholarship fund can qualify as recipient if it restricts carefully its expenses to poor student who deserve Zakah on the basis of being an administrator of this Zakah to the poor.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Ahammed
- India
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| Question |
Dear scholar- Assalaamu alaiykkum.
I just read this from Vasishta samhita-a Hindu religious text, it says "A Brâhmana and a Kshatriya- shall not lend (anything at interest acting like) usurers 4041." Now they quote also (the following verses): 'He who acquiring property cheap, gives it for a high price, is called a usurer and blamed among those who recite the Veda.'- )....These 2 sentences came from Vasishta samhitha, a hindu religious text.
My question here: Is investment on real estate field-(many Islamic banks already invested on real estate, as it also an additional wealth for banks)- Is it an another form of usury?
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Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Investment in real estate is not usury; it is in fact absurd to think of investment as usury. Investment in real estate is buying properties/assets and waiting until conditions of supply and demand change and then selling at better prices. That is a rational transaction that is permissible by all normal minds, rationale and laws including Shari'ah.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Ejaz
- Saudi Arabia
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| Profession |
Manager
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| Question |
How much is the Zakat ul fitr (Fitrana) in Saudi Arabia in Saudi riyals? Can my family pay in Pakistan while I am in Jeddah?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
It is the price of 2.25 KG of rise of middle quality. Please check in the market and find it out. Yes your family can pay it on your behalf in Pakistan, it is even better if they pay it to more needy persons or to needy relatives.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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R Ahmed
- United Kingdom
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Assalamu Alaikum Sheikh
I have a few questions which I have collected from my family and have been waiting since last week to ask you.
1) If one has a loan which has the condition that it will be forgiven at either death or the age of 65, then does this need to be included when making zakat calculation? (i.e the loan will not have a claim on the person's legacy after death as it will be forgiven by the lender)
2. I read from one of your recent sessions that repayment of loan's principle amount plus inflation was ok. Can you please expand as to how this would be accepted? I.e. would it be ok for loan to charge along side principal repayments based on current RPI or at end of total repayments or other method?
3. Is it ok to donate zakat to charity projects where benefit is not clearly attributed to one person? Reason why I ask is because I was led to believe that zakat is meant to go directly to someone to empower them directly so that the benefits of zakat are directly felt by the less fortunate.
4. Can I calculate my zakat at end of a lunar year and then keep that money and then distribute later during following lunar year?
Eagerly await your answers sheikh
Wasslamu alaikum
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| Answer |
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
1) If you are the creditor in this loan and you intend to collect it, you must include it in the amount of Zakatable asset when you calculate your Zakah. If you are the debtor you may deduct from it only the amount you intend to pay out of the existing Zakatable assets whether because they are installments that will due soon and the only source for their payment is present Zakatable assets or because you intend to pay that much even if there is no installment system in the loan.
2) I do not say that the debtor is required to pay for the inflation. I rather say there is room for that but whether the debtor is required or not and how much of the inflation change the debtor would be asked to pay depends of the specific conditions of the debtor and creditor on the basis or either consensual agreement or a court reconciliation. Additionally the general rule is that any pre-conditioned increment in a loan is purely RIBA. Inflation can only be known at the end of a period. then at that time a reconciliation between the two may be done.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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| Name |
abdul
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| Question |
Is it permisssible to open a saving account in a country where there is no Islamic banks?
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| Answer |
Wa `alaykum As-Salamu wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh.
In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
If you are going to deposit large sums, it is permissible to make it in a Saving account in a conventional banks where there are no Islamic banks PROVIDED you give the interest to Muslim charity because it is Haram to keep it to your self or letting it mingle with your own money.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Mohammed
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| Question |
What is Zakat ul Fitr and what are its rulings and how is it different from Zakat ul Mal? Can Zakat ul Fitr be given to any needy person including non-Muslims?
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Zakah of al Fitr is a special kind of Zakah; it is per person like a toll on persons. It is obligatory of the head of the family (one who spends on it) for the purpose of making the poor happy on the day of Eid. Because it is a Zakah per person, it has a given amount determined by the Shari`ah. The amount of it is the price of "Sa` " of wheat or date or barley, etc. that is of the main item of food stuff of the society. If you live in America we take the wheat and the Sa` is about 5 pounds. The price of it in America these days is about 5-6 US$ per each family member including babies and grandparents if they live with you. It must be paid to needy Muslims not non-Muslims because it is related to the occasion of Eid.
Allah Almighty knows best.
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Editor
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In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful.
All praise and thanks are due to Allah, and peace and blessings be upon His Messenger.
Brothers and sisters, we are so sorry for not answering all your questions because the time is over. We apologize for any inconvenience. Do keep in touch. Join us in coming sessions.
Yours,
Islam Online Fatwa Editing Desk.
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| All Fatwas published on this website (Islamonline.net) represent the juristic views and opinions of eminent scholars and Muftis. They do not necessarily form a juristic approach upheld by this website. Click here to read Full Disclaimer. |
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