The Ruling on Selling Luxuries That Exceed One’s Need

Question : If the eight categories are settled, that is what applies to those who are absent. As for those in debt, the issue of zakah falls under those in debt. But who is the one to give it? Perhaps they do not give it to them because they find people poorer than them. We do not say, “Sell this item from the eight categories,” and they prostrated.

Answer : No, no, it is not so. No, if these luxuries are things that people of his status use, we do not say to sell them. Yes, if they are more than what people of his status use, such as a person of average means buying things that only the wealthy possess, in that case we might say we do not give him permission to sell, and he should be on a scale appropriate to his situation. But in this case, he might say to us, “If I sell what I have and buy what suits me, then if I sell it, I might also add to it, because the value of a used item is reduced. For example, if I bought it for ten thousand, now I would sell it for five thousand. If I buy something new that suits my status, I would buy it for five thousand. So what is the benefit of selling?” In that case, we say there is no harm in giving it to him, and we say, “Do not return to this thing.”