Zakah from the goods themselves: books and school supplies
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Fatwa number ( 13757 )
Q: Some of my brothers who trade in religious books and school supplies have asked me to seek your ruling on the permissibility of paying zakah from the goods themselves – the books and school supplies – to the poor or to students of knowledge who lack the funds, due to the lack of liquidity in these businesses and the fact that their stock has been sitting for a year or more. I ask you to answer this question so that I may convey it to those who asked me about it. May Allah preserve you and take charge of you.
A: It is permissible to pay zakah on trade goods from the goods themselves, based on their value at the time of payment, according to the more correct of the two opinions of the scholars; because of the generality of the evidence, and because zakah is a means of the rich providing relief to the poor, so he is not required to provide relief with something other than what he has. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Q: Some of my brothers who trade in religious books and school supplies have asked me to seek your ruling on the permissibility of paying zakah from the goods themselves – the books and school supplies – to the poor or to students of knowledge who lack the funds, due to the lack of liquidity in these businesses and the fact that their stock has been sitting for a year or more. I ask you to answer this question so that I may convey it to those who asked me about it. May Allah preserve you and take charge of you.
A: It is permissible to pay zakah on trade goods from the goods themselves, based on their value at the time of payment, according to the more correct of the two opinions of the scholars; because of the generality of the evidence, and because zakah is a means of the rich providing relief to the poor, so he is not required to provide relief with something other than what he has. And success is from Allah, and may Allah send prayers and blessings upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and his Companions.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.