What is the evidence for the obligation of zakah on trade goods, and is there a disagreement regarding its obligation?
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The questioner:
What is the evidence for the obligation of zakah on trade goods? And is there a disagreement regarding its obligation?
The Shaykh:
The disagreement exists, but the correct and true position is that zakah is obligatory. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the payment of zakah on what is prepared for sale, and these are prepared for sale and trade. Therefore, zakah is due on their value if their value reaches the nisab. I mean the value that equals them at the completion of the lunar year, not the value for which they were purchased. Rather, it is the value that equals them at the completion of the hawl. So, if their value reaches the nisab or more at that time, it is obligatory for him to pay zakah, which is one-quarter of a tenth of it, because it is among the zakatable wealth. Whatever is prepared for sale, zakah is obligatory on it if the hawl has completed for him and its value has reached the nisab, either by itself or by adding it to other wealth. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. What led this listener to ask about the disagreement in this issue, Shaykh Salih?
The Shaykh:
Perhaps he came across the opinion of some scholars that zakah is not obligatory on it, and he was misled by it. And this opinion is wrong without a doubt. Yes.
What is the evidence for the obligation of zakah on trade goods? And is there a disagreement regarding its obligation?
The Shaykh:
The disagreement exists, but the correct and true position is that zakah is obligatory. This is because the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) ordered the payment of zakah on what is prepared for sale, and these are prepared for sale and trade. Therefore, zakah is due on their value if their value reaches the nisab. I mean the value that equals them at the completion of the lunar year, not the value for which they were purchased. Rather, it is the value that equals them at the completion of the hawl. So, if their value reaches the nisab or more at that time, it is obligatory for him to pay zakah, which is one-quarter of a tenth of it, because it is among the zakatable wealth. Whatever is prepared for sale, zakah is obligatory on it if the hawl has completed for him and its value has reached the nisab, either by itself or by adding it to other wealth. Yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He do you good. What led this listener to ask about the disagreement in this issue, Shaykh Salih?
The Shaykh:
Perhaps he came across the opinion of some scholars that zakah is not obligatory on it, and he was misled by it. And this opinion is wrong without a doubt. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، ما الدليل على وجوب زكاة عروض التجارة، وهل هناك خلاف في وجوبها؟ الشيخ صالح بن فوزان الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.