Is there zakah on money saved to buy a house or the like?

Question : Honorable Shaykh! I have spent ten years without paying zakah, because the money I was saving during that time, I used it to get married and to buy a car, so I got married with it, as you know,

Answer : Yes, this issue is hidden from many people. They think that if a man is saving money to get married, or if he is saving money to buy a residence for himself, then he has no zakah to pay. This is not correct. Rather, zakah is obligatory on the money, whether you set it aside for expenses, or for marriage, or for buying a house. The important thing is that as long as it is currency, its zakah is obligatory in every case. Likewise, some people think that money deposited in one of the companies, or in one of the banks, has no zakah. This is not correct, because zakah is obligatory on currency in every case. And Allah knows best. As for the name of this man, he says: I remained for ten years not paying zakah on this money. We tell him now: You must calculate your money for these ten years and pay your zakah. You are not sinful for this delay because you were ignorant, though you may be sinful because you were negligent in not asking the people of knowledge. It is obligatory for a person to hasten to ask the people of knowledge. And I am surprised, or perhaps I should not be surprised, I am surprised by a person who comes and says: I have been for ten years performing Hajj and not stoning the pillars. For ten years I performed Hajj and did not stone the pillars. For ten years I performed Hajj and did not perform the farewell tawaf, and the like of that. My brother, why did you not ask at the time?
He said: It was not on my mind, but later I heard people and came to ask. This is a sign of good, that people have started, praise be to Allah, to pay attention. But there is a kind of negligence. It is obligatory that a person does not perform an act of worship unless he knows that it is an act of worship by which he draws near to Allah. Yes.