The Ruling on the Zakah of Commercial Real Estate and Money When Ramadan Is Designated

Question : I am a man who receives rental income from real estate during the year, and I sometimes buy and sell land and cars. I also sometimes sell on installment. In the blessed month of Ramadan, I perform the zakah on all of this. I pay the zakah on the cash amounts I have, whether I acquired them at the beginning of the year or at the end. There remains the debt and the land that has not been sold. Please note that I did not have a capital specifically allocated for trade. What is the ruling on the zakah in this case? May Allah reward you.

Answer : We say that using Ramadan, for example, to take an inventory of everything he has and pay its zakah is good, and we have mentioned this before, and it provides ease. However, if this results in him omitting the zakah on the real estate he trades in, then this is not permissible. This is because it is obligatory for a person to appraise the real estate he trades in and know its value. Then, if he sells some of it, he pays the zakah from it, provided he does not have enough cash to suffice him and obtain his maintenance, such as the salary we mentioned first. Yes.