Zaid Shakir – How to Pay Zakat
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AI: Transcript ©
Bismillah al Rahman al Rahim al hamdu Lillahi Rabbil alameen wa Salatu was Salam ala CD mursaleen Sayidina Muhammad while early he was so happy he was seldom at the Sleeman kathira robina like Al hamdu cambian but Elijah lady which equally all the missiles ponic Subhana calendar, Seaton and it can take mF data and epic Allahumma salli wa sallim wa barik ala Sayidina Muhammad were early he was taught me he was sentenced him and Keith era Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuhu This is memzy Shakir coming to you from the premises of beautiful zaytuna College, your Muslim college, praying that all of you are preparing to have a wonderful month of Ramadan, prepare now fast
voluntarily start to spend start to engage your core and don't want to wait to Ramadan. Get a running start as one of our scholars mentioned Abu Bakr wallrock above he. He said may Allah have mercy on him. Raja Raja shahzada Raja is the time to plant the seeds with Shaban se assaulted, or shodhan is the month for irrigating and cultivating nurturing the crop while Ramadan shabu shabu hasard. bizarrely, Ramadan is the time to harvest the crop. And so don't wait too long for Ramadan to plant and brothers and sisters start planting now start irrigating and weeding and cultivating now and in Ramadan you have an abundant harvest of reward meaning start reading the quarter and now
if you haven't been reading it throughout the year regulators start that practice now. Start praying your your extra prayers now. If you've not in the habit of regularly praying your family or your dad should start now brothers and sisters start being charitable now. And then when Ramadan comes you enter the month of much much spiritual momentum. inshallah hotel today would like to talk about zakat. A lot of people that like this spin there's a cat in the month of Ramadan. They should be wary though if they're possessing something. And the what what we're talking about the whole the lunar year passes over it that they might be spending in Ramadan be paying there's a cat early so
they should come you should consult your local Imams and scholars concerning the rulings associated with paying your cat early before the actual lunar year passes over that wealth that there's a cat is doing that cat and the Arabic language means to grow or to increase literally is that cache a Zed or Nana, that something experienced cat That is to say, increased and a group Zed will Nana and Zed cat by paying that cat, our wealth grows. And our our wealth is increased and increases for us in tangible and intangible ways we might have less but there's more Baraka and what remains. And it is an increase. For those who receive this that cat they had less than what they will have after they
received as a cat. It also means taharah It also means purity. And so that cat purifies our wealth and purifies it by bringing it into accordance with those provision and strictures that are pleasing to our Lord and purifies our wealth by reminding us associated with the first point that the wealth we give is that cat is not in reality, our wealth. The original amount is the wealth of our Lord. Lord tells us Allah subhanho wa Taala Almighty God tells us where to whom, Mandela Hilah de terre whom give them from the wealth of Almighty God that He has given to you. So in that sense is not ours. Once the lunar year which we mentioned passes over it and it's of its value is above the
designated amount and we'll come back to these particular issues is no longer our wealth is the wealth of those who are due to receive it those eight categories of recipients who we all we will also come to inshallah tada and if we retain it will actually go to your death. And so therefore the person who doesn't pay there, that cat is a sinner athame So does that cat means to grow and increase the cat means to be pure. And so by paying our Zakat we purify it from the
sin that accrues to one who holds on unlawfully to the wealth that is no longer theirs. And the language technical terminology of the Divine Law. Zakat means to spend to convey a designated portion of wealth to specific ri categories of recipients when certain conditions prevail, so a designated portion of wealth and again, we'll talk about the specifics related to that to specific categories of recipients. And we'll talk about those also, once certain conditions prevail over the wealth. So the conditions for the or the wisdom before that the wisdom of the Zakat number one, is to circulate wealth in the society. So when we pay our Zakat, a portion of the wealth that might be
deprived from people in the A categories were mentioned by generally right now we say to the poor and needy people,
that wealth is given and conveyed to them. And so the wealth doesn't remain the strict
possession of those who are wealthy, but rather, it's given to those who are less fortunate, and therefore, wealth circulates in society. Another wisdom is it reminds us, as I mentioned earlier, that the wealth is not ours, the wealth is our Lord's, this is very, very important. Because when a society reaches a point where people consider wealth to be theirs, then the the selfishness on the one hand that prevails, and then the envy, that that selfishness generates, become very destructive forces in society. And so one of the wisdom of the cat is to avoid the prevalence of those destructive forces. Another wisdom of visit cat, and we just alluded to it is to undermine envy on
the part of the poor. So the poor become susceptible to ideologies of
usurpation
when the when there's when there's envy, and the envy is stimulated by a lack of sharing, and a lack of caring and a lack of compassion. So that cat generates that spirit of sharing that spirit of cooperation, that spirit of brotherhood and sisterhood that were connected together. And because we're connected together in one vast human family, we share that which nominally belongs to us. And by sharing it, we undermine those destructive forces that can actually tear apart a society and destabilize it to its root. So this is one another wisdom of the cat, and there are many, many others, but in the interest of time, we'll limit ourselves to those particular ones. There's a cat
is mandatory, obligatory is a cat is obligatory, and here will mention the three basic conditions for every Muslim, even a child, or an insane person, or person who's elderly person suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's, Alzheimer's, or some other debilitating
affliction that would impair their judgment so they couldn't undertake their affairs directly. In those cases, there's a cat is responsible for the guardians of those children are those insane people, the elderly people who've lost full control of their mental facilities, the guardians must pay be the Zakat on their behalf. So, Muslims a cat is not do or non Muslims it is do on Muslims, the Muslim community. Secondly, that the wealth in the various categories and for our purposes, we'll limit ourselves to
gold, silver cash and cash investments, so stocks and bonds. So, the the,
the sub or the limit is approximately 87 grams of gold and 600 grams of silver. So one has in their possession and those various categories gold, cash, silver, and also trade goods. So Scott rule that tiara trade goods, that the value of which are above
87 grams of gold
600 grams of silver, and you can find what that actual value is today, because it changes on a daily basis.
That is when the cat is due on those categories of property. One has to be above that in the categories of cash cash investments for a period of one lunar year, so you possess that and throughout the year, it's above that that threshold at seven grams of gold 600 grams of silver for an entire lunar year. In terms of trade goods, it might dip below because at the end of the unit lunar year, once one acquires those trade goods,
it might the value might dip below but it's assessed at the end of the year. So at the end of that unit lunar year one assesses the value of their trade goods and fits above that limit at seven grams of gold, approximately 600 grams of silver approximately again, then this cat is due on those trade goods. Another aspect of trade goes we can mention here is that if you acquired property for your personal use or for non business usages, and you subsequently use it for business, there's no Zakat doing it so for example, you buy an apartment and you intend to live in it and then you live in it but it's a second property you stay in the city to avoid the commute during the days of your your
work or you work in a distant place you fly in you stay in that apartment, you sublet subsequently your situation changes and you decide to rent that property out that property was not originally acquired for trade therefore there's no say cat do on that particular commodity. So
the to continue for will So those three conditions when they prevail, the cat is due and is obligatory as we said obligatory nature of Zed cat and 32 instances in the court and this phrase occurs while chemo solid to add to the care established the prayer and this is in order it's an imperative verb. Establish regular prayer and pay this a cat well chemo salata will add to the cat. So this is a commandment from Allah is unambiguous. And so it's an obligation and the sooner of our Prophet sallallahu wasallam there's many Hadith that establish the obligatory nature of the cat The most commonly referenced moonalice nam ilok humps shahadi, TN La, La La La La, la and the Mohammedan
Rasulullah. The Economist celerity is a catty, Mahajan, Beatty was Samia Ramadan, that Islam is built on five pillars to testify there is no God but Allah and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah to establish regular prayers to pay the cat to fast the month of Ramadan or to make the pilgrim pilgrimage to the sacred house and Mecca and to fast the month of Ramadan. So amongst these five pillars, what is a cat paying the cat so is a cat is mandatory. Now who receives this cat is a cat is received by
eight categories of recipients in the must saga. Tatu little for para de when masa Kini, when Amina and they had when we left at kulu home was the record, were furious hobby. While our demeanor was this heavy Lila he witnessed Sebelius Rita tamanna La la la law whoa and even Hakeem so there's a cat in the Masada cart sadhaka here charity, generally speaking specifically in this area means that cat and Ms sadakazu a as a cat to the cat is due to Lil fukuhara the poor and there's a difference between some schools between and fukuhara. Well, Mr. King
the folk aura
is one who doesn't have who has barely anything has absolutely nothing or very, very little, the mess hurricane the poor. So the indigent, the poor, the poor are those who have something but not enough to meet their needs, save they need five
goals, gold coins, for their monthly expenses, and they only have three or four. So they're Massa keen, they need a little more. So the
For those who need a lot of help the miskeen those who need a little bit of help. So they indigent or vice versa. So some schools say the poor are those who need a little help. And the miskeen is though are those are Misaki, Julio Lee, a lot of help those who work to collect and gathered as a cat, those who,
whose hearts are to be confirmed in Islam. So some of the schools in Islam they say even those can be non Muslim people, those people who,
if they had a favorable opinion of Islam, they would be amenable to entering into the fold of the believers, those people who might be very antagonistic, but the charity and generosity they might receive from the Muslim community would alleviate their their animosity towards the Muslim community in their possible violence towards the community. So various categories of those whose hearts are to be confirmed. And
the were the those who are Alamosa. rasulillah were feeling third record for the liberation of slaves. And so the Zakat money can be spent, and given to those who are enslaved those Muslims who were enslaved and to buy them and purchase their freedom. Well, for a while allottee mean and those who are in debt, and there are different details related to that. So not anyone in debt, so an affluent person who's in debt because of extravagant consumers spending, that person would not be eligible for slocat, but those who are legitimately in debt, and that debt can lead to either a personal danger or financial disaster. Those are the those are the people in debt, who can be
recipients of the cat will allow the mean or feasibility law, and the Shafi School, which is my particular school, that category is limited to those who are actually defending the faith. So they're defending the faith against active aggression from transgressing parties. Those are the ones who are going for thesis ability law. Other schools, though, expand that category, to include those who might be calling to Allah, those who might be working, and various institutions that are serving the communities in ways that lead to the defense of the community. So in this day and time, there are organizations that are working to combat anti muslim hatred and bigotry, those sort of
organizations under this category with disability law will be eligible for the cat according to the opinion of many contemporary scholars, so that feasibility law,
wetness Sabine, Islam is the only religion that encourages spending more voluntarily, and obligatorily for travelers, and wayfarers. So those people are passing through our towns and communities, and they need assistance, they need assistance, and our day and time in repairing their cars, they need assistance with food and lodging, they need assistance and various ways those people can be given that cat money even if in the place of their destination, they have adequate provisions. And so those are the eight categories of people who can are eligible for and can be recipients of this a cat. So this is an incredible system. We mentioned and we'll mention this
final, then we'll open up for questions and queries, inshallah Tada, and that is the types of wealth. So we mentioned two categories, there are others.
But these two are most relevant. For us very few of us have land livestock, very few of us are engaged actively engaged in farming, other than backyard gardening, where we have an excess of dried goods are goods that can be stored, such as dates or rice or grains, and therefore there will be a cat do on them. Very few of us will find a buried treasure. And there's Zed cat do have that on that buried treasure. So for that reason, as I mentioned, we'll confine ourselves to cash gold, silver cash and cash investments. And that category two and a half percent is due on those holdings after one comes in possession of any of those. And you lunar year passes and after a lunar year. They have
consistently stayed above that minimum of 600 grams of silver at seven grams.
have gold approximately, then the SEC had is do two and a half percent of the value of that gold cash stocks bonds, two and a half percent is due on that. In terms of trade goods, as we said one comes into possession of it after the passing of the lunar year, even if so if in the first category, if that value did spielen, then the Saab mosaic had is due until it comes above that limit, that limit of value and a lunar year passes, then it's due, whereas trade goods of trade goods dip beyond below the nisab. So they dip below the nisab. And then they come above the nisab. Again, the the limit, that's irrelevant, we still go to the end of the year, and then we assess at
the end of the year. And so at the end of the year, if those commodities are above the limit, which is called the nisab, then Zed cat is doing them whereas cash cash investments during that year, before we reached the end of the year, they deep dip below then we start a new reckoning in terms of a new year passing when they come above it again if they come above it. So those are some basic introductory remarks we can make
about a cat. And we'll open up the floor now for questions. The virtual floor of course, because no none of us sitting here around me. So we'll open up the virtual floor. Any questions or comments that we might have from the audience?
Great. Thank you so much, man z is going to jump in. With some questions from Facebook and Instagram. We have several starting with Facebook. rd. T Kuma says I'm from Ghana, in West Africa. My dad is a businessman. Before he pays his a cat, he goes around to take the worth of his stock goods. And even the worth of his buildings before paying isn't Zakat just supposed to be on your savings alone. No, as we said trade goods are the cannibal commodities. And so your father is doing the right thing. At fee those properties were purchased for rental income. If his stuff his supplies were all purchased for business. At the end of the unit lunar year FTS gain possession of those
various commodities, he assesses. And if they're above that limit that we mentioned approximately 87 grams of gold and 600 grams of silver, then the cat is doing them. So as a cat is not just do on cash and cash investments.
To your father's doing the right thing.
As a caregiver for orphans or disabled,
those orphans in those disabled people being either poor or indigent, that is a cat is their personal property. And so ideally, they have to be consulted
before one can go forth with that project. In other words, once there's a cat is due is no longer the
possession. I see the question I think we'll clarify what once there's a cat is do is no longer the possession of the giver. So the giver cannot say to the poor and the orphans.
Do this build an orphanage with this money we're giving you they could say I'm going to go into business, which is one of the ideal wisdoms I forgot to mention of this a cat is a cat is to expand the number of people who actually are paying that cat. So, they should be given enough to enable them to be financially independent. So, this is one of the goals of the cat. So those those recipients who now own that money will have to be consulted in terms of an organization that organization ideally should consult the the orphans or whoever is going to be the beneficiaries of that project as to get their permission to use this money which is theirs.
for that particular project will love Allah. Allah knows best jazak Allah here. Next question, then let me interject here because I should have mentioned in the southeast school
My particular school, all eight of those categories are equal recipients of the wealth. In other words, if we have all eight of those categories, the poor, the indigent, those who work to collect it, those whose hearts to be to be strengthened and conformed, those,
the slaves to be liberated those who are in debt, those who are working in the way of the religion, and the travelers and wayfarers, the money or the available funds and resources are distributed equally across those eight, there's only six, then is distributed equally across the six have their two or three is distributed equally across the two or three other schools differ and that particular ruling. So I just want to interject that. Just Sokolow here. Next question. Another Interjection.
Zach cat as long as someone in those eight categories exists in the land where the cat is being collected. It is forbidden in the Shafi school to send that money to another area, another land is forbidden. Other schools have different rulings with some latitude. But generally speaking, the qat should be distributed amongst the eligible recipients in the land, the area, the region that it's been collected in. So we shouldn't immediately send as a cat overseas, for example, if we have connections to communities, and other countries before we make sure that all of the needy people in our area have received the Zika.
Barack Obama seek next question we have from Facebook is from home comfort, who asks, Do I have to pay the CAD for the period I did not know, is not mandatory, for the period I did not know is not mandatory? Or have I to pay from the moment I understood the importance of ziget? No, once, as long as you possessed that commodity, or that money, or that socketable wealth,
you have to pay for the years that you might have missed.
So if that was in your possession, once you learn of the ruling, you have to pay for the years that you missed
the two and a half percent.
Bottle of feet. So the next related question, which comes from
ruqayyah on Instagram.
Why 2.5%? How did this number come about?
The number is established
by textual evidence for so we're instructed by the prophets of the Selim to pay
a quarter of a 10th. So Ruby,
so quarter of the 10th is two and a half percent,
or a quarter of 10 parts. So, Ruby,
so that quarter is two and a half percent, two and a half, two and a half, five, two and a half, seven and a half, two and a half 10.
barnacle feek. Next question, bouncing back to Facebook, comes from sister Miriam jameelah. Who asks, in America, many Muslims save up in a college fund for their kids future education. I would think that cat would be due on that too. Is that the case? Yes, the cat will be doing that because that's a cash investment. You're taking cash. And you're investing it in a fund or deposit in a fund. And so that is liquefiable wealth and z cat. We'll be doing that.
by Nicola feek. Next question from Instagram, from Ahmed aid. To clarify kenzi cat go to one sisters. Could you repeat the criterion for eligibility?
One's immediate dependence was children's one's parents.
Blood dependence you spend on them freely. It's now called cat that cat this spinnings that cat is from what's leftover. And so you don't give those dependence that cat you spend on them freely. And then what's leftover is from what's beyond your circle of blood dependence.
barakallahu fique. Also from Instagram, Omar 74 is asking
if you could repeat the ruling
bonzi cat for those in debt.
So those in debt, those who are in legitimate debt and not debt as a result of irresponsible reckless actions, or for example, a gambling debt or debt due to excessive spending on things you don't need consumer spending, but those who are in legitimate debt that
was forced on them by their circumstances. And if they were not to meet that debt, they would either be in personal danger or their financial situation will become extremely tenuous. So those are the people in debt who can receive that cat
barbagallo fique sister, Miriam jameelah from Facebook, had an important follow up to her question.
On the college fund, z cat would be due every year on it, or when you take it out after a number of years and then liquefy it. It will be due every year.
So it'd be like money in the bank. And so, after the year passes, and that money is above the limit, then the cat is doing it.
barakallahu li we also have brother Jackson Lee, from Facebook who's asking assalamu Aleikum first of all jazak Allahu clared. To repeat is the cat due on 401k.
A 401k is a cash investment. So as a cat is due on the principal and the increase. So the value of the principal and any profit you might have made on that during the year two and a half percent is due on that
barakallahu fee.
Also, Bo Adam from Facebook asks, Does a debt obligation such as a home purchase plan installment have bearing on one's quote wealth calculation?
And in the Shafi school, the debt is irrelevant. It's not considered. Other schools vary in that ruling. So you should consult
Hanafi, Maliki or humbly scholars in that regard, but in the Shafi school, the debt will be irrelevant there's a cat is due on that that particular debt also, or does that does a cat is due on that investment regardless of the debt that's involved in it? I say that will be a little clearer.
barnacle of fee. Also from Facebook ye Bashir, as do teenagers pays a cat who have savings. And does it have to be a year old?
Absolutely. On both accounts, the teenagers who are mentally alert, they're pubescent there are adults, Sharon, and if they're mentally capable of
managing their affairs, to that degree is a cat is due on their wealth after the lunar year has passed over the wealth or the savings and it's above the limit that we repeatedly referred to. So yes, and yes, yes, teenagers do have to pay their cat on the wealth that they might own, through their working teenagers work through what they might have inherited. So whatever they possess, and it's due after the lunar year passes over it, and it remains above the limit.
And they're Muslim.
Barak lo fi. We're going to go back to Instagram from brother Omar 74. In the UK, who asks, in the UK, we pay very high taxation on our income, I
think somewhere of 50% to the extent that it impacts significantly on our disposable income and financial commitments and responsibilities. Does this count towards the cat? And if not, why not? Given that the UK is a welfare state and taxes are used to provide free health care, housing and education to all JazakAllah. who care?
First of all, the United States is not a welfare welfare state. We probably pay more federal income tax to the UK from the United Kingdom. No, I'm just saying that the United States is not a welfare state. And we probably pay just as much in taxes when you add up the gas tax and the airport tax and the rental car tax and the the state federal income tax and the state income tax.
etc, you probably paid just as much in taxes. So is that cat is still due on the balance of your wealth. So it's not is a cat is not on income, it's on wealth that you possess after the passing of the lunar year over that wealth that's above the limit. So the fact that you pay all of that taxes means there's less money available to you, that will be the cannibal if we can use that word. So in other words, if you weren't paying that 50% of taxes, now, there's double the amount of wealth you present potentially, would have to pay a cat for. So let's say that 50% you're paying to the government, you're living off the 50, the government is not currently taking the government's no
longer taking it. So that's going in the bank. And so that's now set countable income. And so the reason you don't pay zakat on what is gone through taxes, because it's not in the bank. And because it's not in the bank or under your pillow or inside of your mattress or in your safe after the end of the year passes over your wealth that's above the limit. There's less wealth that's above the limit.
I hope I hope that's clear.
Barak love feitos very appreciated.
Back on Facebook, we have souad who asked to clarify about calculating how do you calculate the cat do on jewelry? That's an excellent question. I should have mentioned that. So the cat is only do on gold or silver jewelry.
Those are the cannibal categories mentioned gold, silver and cash, cash and cash investments. So in the Shafi school is a cat is due on the amount of jewelry that would be declared to be excessive. And so if a woman had so much jewelry, that it will be deemed to be excessive and extravagant. Then the cat will be doing that part that was excessive and extravagant. But if it's what's normal for a person of that particular society, and within realistic limits, then there's no as a cat go do on jewelry, gold or silver. jewelry.
barakallahu feek.
Jackson, Dooley actually had a follow up to his question earlier question about 401k. And he mentioned we don't have access to the 401k though.
Does that have any bearing? Well, you will have access but you will have to pay a penalty.
And so if you'd subtract the penalty from what you could liquefy, then the cat will be on do on the balances if it's above the limit. Will law Allah Allah knows best.
hamdulillah Baraka fee.
Okay, memzy. I think if you have any concluding remarks, I think that's sufficient for questions. And hamdulillah. We thank everyone for your patience, and for very, very excellent questions that I think all of the questions help to fill out the initial presentation and to fill in some of the gaps. So May Allah Allah bless all of you. And we encourage you on those issues who I mentioned consulting your local scholars think please follow up with your local scholars on those particular issues. JazakAllah hieron Assalamu alaykum warahmatullahi wabarakatuh