جامع المسائل، مرکز پاسخگویی به احکام شرعی و مسائل فقهی

Issue No. 1617- If a person possesses gold or silver, which has reached the taxable limit, even if he has paid zakāt on it, he should continue to pay zakāt on it every year so long as it does not fall below the taxable limit. However, this is not the case with khums. That is, once the khums of a property is given, it will not be liable to khums again unless there is an increase in it. Nevertheless, wheat, barley, raisins and dates are liable to zakāt only once.

Issue No. 1622- If a person exchanges gold and silver for something, or melts them in order to avoid payment of zakāt, he will not be liable to zakāt yet he has been deprived from a blessing, and the recommended precaution is to give its zakāt.

Issue No. 1623- If a person possesses gold and silver which is partly of superior quality and partly of inferior quality or partly of more alloy and partly of lesser alloy, he should pay zakāt of each from its respective portion. However, it would be better to pay zakāt of the entire portions from the superior quality.

Issue No. 1624- If gold and silver coins in which more than usual quantity of another metal is mixed are not called gold and silver coins, and if their pure gold or silver reaches the taxable limit, zakāt should be paid on them. However, if one doubts whether they have reached the taxable limit or not, it is not obligatory to pay zakāt on them; if he can test them to ascertain the quantity, the obligatory precaution is to do so.

Issue No. 1625- With regard to sheep, cows and camels, in addition to the conditions that were stated before for zakāt, it is necessary also that those animals should not be used for labour. In case however, they have been used occasionally for labour but they are not regarded as labour animals, it will be obligatory to pay zakāt on them.

Issue No. 1632- It is not obligatory to pay zakāt in-between two taxable limits. Hence, if the number of camels exceeds the first taxable limit which is five, but does not reach the second taxable limit which is ten, he should pay zakāt on only five of them and similar is the case with the succeeding taxable limits.

Issue No. 1634- In the matter of zakāt, sheep, goats, and one-year old lambs are regarded to be the same. Also, different kinds of camels, cows, and buffaloes are considered to be of the same category.

Issue No. 1636- There is no problem if the value of a sheep given as zakāt is less than his other sheep. However, it is recommended that he should give as zakāt the sheep whose value is more than the rest, or at least give the sheep with an average value. The same rule applies to cows and camels.

Issue No. 1650- If a person gives zakāt to someone thinking that he is poor, and it transpires later that he was not poor, or he gives zakāt to a person who is not poor, due to not knowing the ruling, it is not sufficient (i.e., zakāt has not been paid properly). Hence, if the thing which he gave to that person still exists, he can take it back and give it to the person entitled to it. In case that thing has perished, and the person, who took it, knew or considered it probable that it was zakāt, he should give its substitute back to the zakāt payer so that he give it to the person entitled to it. However, in case it was given to him (recipient) as a non-zakāt property, nothing can be taken from him. In any case, if he has not come short in identifying the entitled person, it is not necessary for him to pay the zakāt from his property again.

Issue No. 1651- A person who is a debtor and cannot repay his debt can receive zakāt to repay the debt, though he may possess enough money to meet the annual expenses provided that he has not spent the loan for some sinful purposes.

Issue No. 1652- If the money of a traveller has been completely spent or stolen or he loses the means of transport and it was not a haram journey, provided that he cannot reach his destination by taking loan or selling something, he can take zakāt even though he may not be a poor person in his hometown. It is not necessary for him to repay what he has received as zakāt when he reaches his hometown. However, if after reaching his hometown he finds that some of it has remained unspent, he should give it to the Mujtahid or his representative informing him that it is zakāt.

Issue No. 1657- If a person cannot meet the expenses of those whose maintenance is obligatory on him, for example, if he is not able to meet the expenses of his own wife and children, or is able to do so but refrains, others can give them zakāt.