Is there zakah on vegetables and honey, and is there a disagreement among the scholars?
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Question:
May Allah reward you with good, and may He reward you as well. Shaykh Salih says: I read in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) that there is no zakah on vegetables and fruits, and this is the view of the majority. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said that it was not part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to take zakah from vegetables. I also heard a statement that zakah is obligatory on vegetables, as well as on honey. Imam al-Bukhari said that no authentic hadith has been established indicating that zakah is obligatory on honey. Ibn al-Mundhir said there is no zakah on honey, and this is the view of the majority. Please guide us, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Yes, as you have mentioned, there is a disagreement among the scholars regarding the obligation of zakah on vegetables. Some hold that zakah is obligatory on everything that comes out of the earth, citing the saying of Allah the Exalted:[Al-Baqarah 2:267]. The majority hold that there is no zakah on vegetables, because zakah is only obligatory on what is measured and stored. The saying of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him): Sahih Muslim 979a. A wasq is sixty sa' (a dry measure of about 3 kg) by the sa' of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). He considered zakah to be due on what is measured.
Likewise, the disagreement regarding honey is well-known among the scholars of knowledge. Some hold that zakah is obligatory on it because 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to take zakah from honey. Other scholars hold that there is no zakah on it, as the questioner mentioned. So the issue is one of scholarly disagreement. If a person exercises caution and pays zakah on the honey, he is more secure in his conscience. Yes.
May Allah reward you with good, and may He reward you as well. Shaykh Salih says: I read in fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) that there is no zakah on vegetables and fruits, and this is the view of the majority. Imam Ibn al-Qayyim said that it was not part of the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) to take zakah from vegetables. I also heard a statement that zakah is obligatory on vegetables, as well as on honey. Imam al-Bukhari said that no authentic hadith has been established indicating that zakah is obligatory on honey. Ibn al-Mundhir said there is no zakah on honey, and this is the view of the majority. Please guide us, may Allah reward you with good.
Answer:
Yes, as you have mentioned, there is a disagreement among the scholars regarding the obligation of zakah on vegetables. Some hold that zakah is obligatory on everything that comes out of the earth, citing the saying of Allah the Exalted:
O you who have believed, spend from the good things which you have earned and from that which We have produced for you from the earth
يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَنفِقُوا مِن طَيِّبَاتِ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَمِمَّا أَخْرَجْنَا لَكُم مِّنَ الْأَرْضِNo sadaqa (zakat) is payable on less than five wasqs of (dates or grains)
ليس فيما دون خمسة أوسق صدقةLikewise, the disagreement regarding honey is well-known among the scholars of knowledge. Some hold that zakah is obligatory on it because 'Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) used to take zakah from honey. Other scholars hold that there is no zakah on it, as the questioner mentioned. So the issue is one of scholarly disagreement. If a person exercises caution and pays zakah on the honey, he is more secure in his conscience. Yes.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، هل في الخضروات والعسل زكاة، وهل ثمة خلاف بين العلماء؟ الشيخ صالح الفوزان — youtube.com
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.