Do I Owe Zakat on Unused Account Funds?
Hanafi Fiqh
Answered by Mawlana Ilyas Patel
Question
I had $20,000 in a bank account under my name for 12 years, originally deposited by my father. It was returned to him without ever being used by me. During this period, I did not pay zakat on the amount. Am I now required to pay zakat for those years, even though I no longer have the money?
Answer
In the Name of Allah, the Most Merciful and Compassionate.
I pray you are in good health and faith.
Thank you for your question.
Generally, if money is given to a child and they reach puberty, it becomes their responsibility to pay Zakat from that point onward. If the money is kept as a trust, then the guardian must start paying Zakat on their behalf from this point. However, in your case, it appears the money was not given to you as your own, but rather it was your account that was used. Therefore, your father is responsible for paying the Zakat on the $20,000 for the 12 years, not you.
Zakat is due on a yearly basis when a morally-responsible Muslim possesses the minimal zakatable amount (nisab) above and beyond their debts and immediate expenses, and a complete lunar year passes over it. [Ibn ‘Abidin, Radd al-Muhtar]
May Allah grant you all good and success in this life and the next.
I encourage you to review the valuable answers and links provided below. You will receive guidance and direction, in sha’ Allah.
- Zakat: How to Calculate & Whom to Give – SeekersGuidance
- Zakat: A Comprehensive SeekersGuidance Reader
- SeekersGuidance Zakat Calculator
Why not begin your search for knowledge by signing up for a course on SeekersGuidance?
I pray this helps with your question.
Wassalam,
[Mawlana] Ilyas Patel
Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani
Mawlana Ilyas Patel has received traditional education in various countries. He started his schooling in the UK and completed his hifz of the Quran in India. After that, he joined an Islamic seminary in the UK, where he studied secular and Aalimiyya sciences. Later, he traveled to Karachi, Pakistan, and other Middle Eastern countries to further his education. Mawlana has served as an Imam in the Republic of Ireland for several years and taught the Quran and other Islamic sciences to both children and adults. He also worked as a teacher and librarian at a local Islamic seminary in the UK for 12 years. Presently, he lives in the UK with his wife and is interested in books and gardening.
