Who must pay: the conditions, the nisab and the hawl

The conditions of zakaat For zakaat on money and savings, scholars list conditions relating to the person and to the asset. • Being Muslim. Zakaat is worship; it is not asked of a non-Muslim. • Full ownership (al-milk at-taamm): the asset belongs to you and you can dispose of it. An asset you do not control (a sum blocked by a third party, an estate not yet divided, a debt whose debtor is insolvent) raises particular questions, seen in lessons 4 and 6. • Reaching the nisab, the minimum threshold. • The asset must have remained in your possession for a complete lunar year (al-ḥawl). This condition does not apply to harvests, due on the day of harvest (6:141), nor to found treasure (rikaaz). • The asset must exceed essential needs: one does not count the home one lives in, the car, clothes, furniture, work tools.

The assets of children and of people without discernment For the majority of scholars (Malikis, Shafi'is, Hanbalis), zakaat is due on the assets of a child or of a person who lacks reason: the guardian pays it on their behalf. For the Hanafi school, it is not due on their money (except on harvests and zakaat al-fiṭr), because zakaat is worship that requires legal responsibility [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des deux avis]. In practice: a savings account opened in a child's name (for example a TFSA or a youth account) is a real question to ask the imam.

The nisab: where do 85 g and 595 g come from? The texts set the nisab in the currencies of the time: • "There is no charity on less than five awaaq [of silver]" (Bukhari 1405, Muslim 979) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro]. Five awaaq are worth 200 dirhams. • In a hadith of 'Ali, the Prophet ﷺ sets the threshold at 200 silver dirhams and 20 gold dinars, with 5 dirhams and half a dinar of zakaat, that is 2.5% (Abu Daawuud 1573) [À VÉRIFIER : numéro et degré]. The conversion into grams is a modern calculation: 20 dinars (mithqaal) of about 4.25 g give 85 g of gold; 200 dirhams of about 2.975 g give 595 g of silver. These are the figures used by most contemporary bodies and by the site's calculator. Other calculations give slightly different weights (for example about 87.48 g of gold and 612.36 g of silver in some Hanafi circles) [À VÉRIFIER : chiffres alternatifs]. This refers to pure metal (24-carat gold).

Gold or silver: which threshold for cash? Today, the value of 595 g of silver is much lower than that of 85 g of gold. The choice therefore changes who must pay. • First position: use the silver threshold (the lower one). Arguments: it is more favourable to the poor, it is the cautious choice (one pays more often), and it is the Hanafi position and that of many bodies. • Second position: use the gold threshold. Arguments: gold keeps a more stable value, the silver threshold has become so low that it reaches people of modest means, and contemporary scholars have adopted it. • Some suggest taking the lower of the two as a precaution, others the gold threshold for cash and the silver one for silver metal. [À VÉRIFIER : avis retenu par le centre, et réglage du calculateur du site]. The site's calculator lets the administration choose gold or silver and enter the price per gram in Canadian dollars.

Worked example (fictitious prices) Suppose gold at CA$130 per gram and silver at CA$1.50 per gram (figures invented for the example: check the day's price). • Gold nisab: 85 × 130 = $11,050. • Silver nisab: 595 × 1.50 = $892.50. A person who has $6,000 of savings for a year owes zakaat according to the silver threshold (6,000 × 2.5% = $150), but not according to the gold threshold.

The hawl: the lunar year The hadith says: "There is no zakaat on wealth until a year has passed over it" (Abu Daawuud 1573, Ibn Maaja 1792) [À VÉRIFIER : numéros et degré]. The year is lunar (about 354 days). • In practice, one does not track each dollar: most contemporary scholars advise setting a zakaat date (the day your savings first reached the nisab, or, if you do not know it, a chosen date such as 1 Ramadan), then, every year on that date, counting everything you own. • Money earned during the year is added to the total on the zakaat date, without waiting for it to have a year of its own: this is the Hanafi position, and many recommend it for simplicity [À VÉRIFIER : présentation des avis sur les biens acquis en cours d'année]. • If you prefer a Gregorian calendar date (for example 31 December), some bodies suggest a rate of about 2.577% to make up for the 11 extra days [À VÉRIFIER : taux et instance]. • If your total falls below the nisab during the year and then rises again, the schools differ on whether the year's count restarts [À VÉRIFIER]. • It is permitted to pay zakaat early, before the end of the year, according to the majority of scholars (for example to help during Ramadan, or to spread monthly payments).

The text: Surah Al-Ma'aarij (70), verses 24 to 25 وَالَّذِينَ فِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ مَعْلُومٌ ﴿٢٤﴾ لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ ﴿٢٥﴾

The text: Surah Adh-Dhaariyaat (51), verse 19 وَفِي أَمْوَالِهِمْ حَقٌّ لِلسَّائِلِ وَالْمَحْرُومِ ﴿١٩﴾

Meaning: 70:24-25: "… and those in whose wealth there is a known right, for the one who asks and the one who is deprived." 51:19: "And in their wealth there was a right for the one who asks and the one who is deprived." The "known right" (ḥaqqun ma'luum) is understood by many commentators as zakaat, whose quantity is fixed: this is exactly what the nisab and the rate are about.

Arabic text: Tanzil Quran Text (Simple, version 1.0.2), © 2008-2010 Tanzil.net, Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 licence, reproduced without any change (http://tanzil.net). Each verse is on its own line, followed by its number; the basmala, which the Tanzil file places at the start of the first verse, is written on its own line.

Understanding the lesson

Explanation Zakaat is not asked of everyone: it concerns the person who owns a stable surplus. This is the meaning of the nisab (a minimum) and of the hawl (a duration). Someone who lives from day to day, or whose savings melt away before the end of the year, is not concerned; they may even be among those who receive it. The modern figures (85 g, 595 g, 2.5%) are not invented: they translate into grams the 20 dinars and 200 dirhams of the hadiths. But the translation is a human calculation, and the choice between gold and silver is a question of interpretation where serious scholars differ. This is why the course presents both positions and refers to the imam. The zakaat date is a practical solution: instead of tracking each sum, one makes an annual review on a fixed date. This requires discipline: noting the date, keeping one's statements, and not postponing it.

Lessons to draw from it • Set your zakaat date now and write it in your calendar. • Keep your bank statements from your zakaat day each year: they will be used for the calculation. • Check the price per gram of gold and silver on that day (the site's calculator shows the prices entered by the centre). • For accounts opened in your children's names, ask the imam's opinion. • When unsure between two thresholds, know that choosing the lower is the cautious option, and that the other position is also supported.

Key points to remember • Conditions: Islam, full ownership, nisab, hawl (one lunar year), surplus beyond essential needs. • Nisab: 20 dinars ≈ 85 g of gold; 200 dirhams ≈ 595 g of silver (modern conversions). • Rate: 2.5% (one fortieth) on money, gold, savings and merchandise. • Gold or silver for cash: two main positions [À VÉRIFIER : avis du centre]. • No hawl for harvests (6:141).

The main message Zakaat concerns the surplus that lasts: set your date, count honestly what you own, and return the known right that your wealth contains.