Money deposited in banks or kept by a person, whether for marriage, assisting the mujahideen, or other purposes: if a lunar year has passed over it, is zakah due on it?
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The questioner : May Allah reward the honorableThe Shaykh : Money deposited in banks or kept by a person, which is specifically for marriage, specifically for assisting the mujahideen, for disasters, or for building mosques: if a lunar year has passed over it, is zakah due on it? I ask for a detailed explanation. May Allah guide you.
The Shaykh : The phrase "specifically for marriage"—I do not know if it means that a man deposited money in the bank to use for his marriage, or that these are funds donated by people for the benefit of those getting married?
The questioner : The second.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : The second.
The Shaykh : Yes, if it is the first case, then this money belongs to its owner, and it is obligatory for him to pay its zakah.
Some people think that money a person sets aside for marriage or to buy a house is not subject to zakah, and this is a mistake. As long as the money is in your ownership, zakah is due on it, whether you set it aside for marriage, to buy a house, or for any other purpose. As for money donated by its owners for marriage, for charity, for jihad, or the like, there is no zakah on it. Even money donated by its owners for the disasters that befall some of them is not subject to zakah. For example, in some tribes, they have a donation box where they collect contributions; if one of them suffers a loss, they give him from this money. We say there is no zakah on this money. Why? Because it has no owner. This money has left the ownership of its original owners, and it has no owner now.
One of the conditions for the obligation of zakah is the completion of ownership, and this money is not owned by anyone.
Similarly, there is money that serves as a substitute for something bequeathed, such as if a bequeathed house or an endowment is demolished, and its money is kept until another house is found. In that case, there is no zakah on this money. Why? Because it is not owned by anyone, since the beneficiary of an endowment does not own the endowment itself. Therefore, it is not owned by anyone. It remains so, even if the period is long, until it is used to buy a replacement for the damaged endowment. Yes.
The Shaykh : The phrase "specifically for marriage"—I do not know if it means that a man deposited money in the bank to use for his marriage, or that these are funds donated by people for the benefit of those getting married?
The questioner : The second.
The Shaykh : Yes?
The questioner : The second.
The Shaykh : Yes, if it is the first case, then this money belongs to its owner, and it is obligatory for him to pay its zakah.
Some people think that money a person sets aside for marriage or to buy a house is not subject to zakah, and this is a mistake. As long as the money is in your ownership, zakah is due on it, whether you set it aside for marriage, to buy a house, or for any other purpose. As for money donated by its owners for marriage, for charity, for jihad, or the like, there is no zakah on it. Even money donated by its owners for the disasters that befall some of them is not subject to zakah. For example, in some tribes, they have a donation box where they collect contributions; if one of them suffers a loss, they give him from this money. We say there is no zakah on this money. Why? Because it has no owner. This money has left the ownership of its original owners, and it has no owner now.
One of the conditions for the obligation of zakah is the completion of ownership, and this money is not owned by anyone.
Similarly, there is money that serves as a substitute for something bequeathed, such as if a bequeathed house or an endowment is demolished, and its money is kept until another house is found. In that case, there is no zakah on this money. Why? Because it is not owned by anyone, since the beneficiary of an endowment does not own the endowment itself. Therefore, it is not owned by anyone. It remains so, even if the period is long, until it is used to buy a replacement for the damaged endowment. Yes.