What Are the Conditions for the Obligation of Zakat on Wealth?
Shafi'i Fiqh
Answered by Shaykh Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Question
What are the conditions for the obligation of zakat on wealth?
Answer
In the name of Allah, and all praise is due to Allah, and blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, his Family, his Companions, and those who follow him.
Zakat is one of the pillars of Islam and is considered an essential part of the religion, as Allah (Most High) says: “And establish prayer and give zakat” [Quran, 2:43]
General Conditions
For zakat to be obligatory on a Muslim, certain conditions must be met, the most important of which are:
- Islam: Zakat is not obligatory on a non-Muslim.
- A free man or woman: Zakat is not obligatory on a slave, even if they are partially freed (mukatab).
- Ownership is established: Zakat is not due on communal wealth such as that of the public treasury (bayt al-mal).
- Completion of one lunar year: The wealth must have been in possession for a full lunar year.
- Full ownership: The wealth must be completely owned and controlled by the individual.
- Reaching the nisab (minimum threshold): The wealth must reach the minimum amount that makes it eligible for zakat. [Nawawi, Minhaj al-Talibin; Jawi, Sharh Safinat al-Naja’]
Specific Conditions
Each type of zakat has its own specific conditions. For example, the condition of completing one lunar year is not necessary for zakat on rikaz (treasure troves). The details of these conditions are elaborated in the books of Islamic jurisprudence, both in summary texts and detailed commentaries.
We recommend you study a basic text in Shafi‘i fiqh to understand the specific conditions and rulings in detail. Many accessible lessons are available for free on the SeekersGuidance platform, covering texts such as Safinat al-Naja’, al-Yaqut al-Nafis, and ‘Umdat al-Salik, among others.
May Allah grant us success and guide us to the straight path.
[Shaykh] Dr. Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib
Shaykh Dr Muhammad Abu Bakr Badhib is a prominent Islamic scholar from Yemen born in Shibam, Hadhramaut, in 1976. He received his degree in Shari‘a from Al-Ahqaf University, a master’s degree from the Islamic University of Beirut, and a PhD in Usul al-Din from Aligarh Muslim University (AMU).
He studied under great scholars such as Shaykh al-Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad, Shaykh Fadl Ba‘ fadl, Habib Salim al-Shatiri, Habib Ali Mashhur bin Hafeez, and others. He has served as the Director of Publications at Dar al-Fiqh, the former Deputy Director of Cultural Relations at Al-Ahqaf University, a former Assistant for Employee Affairs at Atiyah Iron Company, a researcher at the Sunna Center affiliated with the Dallah al-Baraka Foundation, and a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch.
Currently, he is a researcher at Al-Furqan Foundation’s Makka al-Mukarrama and Madina al-Munawwara Encyclopedia branch, teaches traditionally through the Ijaza system at Dar al-Fuqaha in Turkey, supervises the Arabic department at Nur al-Huda International Institute (SeekersGuidance), and is a member of the Board of Trustees of the Manuscript House in Istanbul.
His works include “The Efforts of Hadhramaut Jurists in Serving the Shafi‘i School,” “Contributions of Hadhramaut Scholars in Spreading Islam and its Sciences in India,” “Hada’iq al-Na‘im in Shafi‘i Fiqh,” in addition to verifying several books in Fiqh, history, the art of biographies, and Asanid (chains of narration).