Can I Pay My Zakat on Gold with the Borrowed Money?

Answered by Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat

Question

I have gold but no cash to pay Zakat at the moment. My husband has borrowed an amount for three months. Can I pay my gold Zakat with this borrowed money? If not, what should I do?

Answer

Yes, it would be valid to take the requisite amount from your husband and pay your zakat or to ask him to pay it on your behalf. In essence, whatever you borrow or take from him becomes your money, and the zakat would be paid from your own money.

The same applies to other forms of charity too. For example, if your husband paid your sadaqat al-fitr for you, it would be valid. [Maydani, al-Lubab]

Wide-Ranging Benefit

The best form of good deeds is those which benefit others in the broadest way possible. One form of this supports Islamic knowledge and those who teach that knowledge. I thoroughly encourage you to support the Islamic Scholars Fund, which is the means for many deserving scholars and students, many of whom are refugees, to keep teaching and making a difference in the lives of many Muslims worldwide.

Allah commands us to “Help each other to do all forms of good and God-fearingness.” [Quran, 5:2] This is the broadest way of doing so, for those who teach and guide people to embody this verse. Do read the linked document above, as it highlights the importance of this matter in a more detailed manner.

May Allah grant you the best of both worlds.

[Shaykh] Abdul-Rahim Reasat
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Shaykh Abdul-Rahim Reasat began his studies in Arabic Grammar and Morphology in 2005. After graduating with a degree in English and History he moved to Damascus in 2007 where, for 18 months, he studied with many erudite scholars. In late 2008 he moved to Amman, Jordan, where he continued his studies for the next six years in Sacred Law (fiqh), legal theory (Usul al-fiqh), theology, hadith methodology, hadith commentary, and Logic. He was also given licenses of mastery in the science of Quranic recital and he was able to study an extensive curriculum of Quranic sciences, tafsir, Arabic grammar, and Arabic eloquence.