What is the ruling on paying zakah on the jewelry of girls who have not reached puberty?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you — O Shaykh! — The third question — Your EminenceThe Shaykh : Regarding gold for children, is zakah due on it or is zakah not calculated on it?
The Shaykh : How is it regarding children?
The questioner : For example, I have a little girl.
The Shaykh : Yes!
The questioner : She receives gifts of gold pieces, and are these gold pieces subject to zakah, or is zakah not calculated on them? That is to say: We know that there are two opinions regarding a woman’s gold jewelry: that if it is used for adornment, and that if it is used on the basis that it can be invested in the future, that there is zakah in it; so regarding the little girl; the nursing infant; that is, she is one or two years old and she has gold, is there zakah on this or is there no zakah on it?
The Shaykh : First, in general: zakah, like prayer, fasting, and the other pillars and obligations, does not become incumbent upon a person until he reaches the age of legal responsibility.
The questioner : Yes! He must reach the age of legal responsibility.
The Shaykh : Yes! That is one point. And the other, which you did not ask about, is that the detail you mentioned regarding gold jewelry has no basis; rather, there is no difference between jewelry for keeping, for adornment, or for trade. As soon as jewelry is available to the woman of legal responsibility — as I told you just now — she must pay zakah on it, provided that it reaches the nisab.
The questioner : Provided that it reaches the nisab.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Excellent, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And may the same be for you; therefore, the girl or the small child who has gold jewelry, when she reaches the age of legal responsibility — if Allah wills — and then the gifts increase and their total reaches the nisab; at that time she must pay the zakah, and if she is not aware of it; her parents should remind her.
The questioner : Yes! May Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : How is it regarding children?
The questioner : For example, I have a little girl.
The Shaykh : Yes!
The questioner : She receives gifts of gold pieces, and are these gold pieces subject to zakah, or is zakah not calculated on them? That is to say: We know that there are two opinions regarding a woman’s gold jewelry: that if it is used for adornment, and that if it is used on the basis that it can be invested in the future, that there is zakah in it; so regarding the little girl; the nursing infant; that is, she is one or two years old and she has gold, is there zakah on this or is there no zakah on it?
The Shaykh : First, in general: zakah, like prayer, fasting, and the other pillars and obligations, does not become incumbent upon a person until he reaches the age of legal responsibility.
The questioner : Yes! He must reach the age of legal responsibility.
The Shaykh : Yes! That is one point. And the other, which you did not ask about, is that the detail you mentioned regarding gold jewelry has no basis; rather, there is no difference between jewelry for keeping, for adornment, or for trade. As soon as jewelry is available to the woman of legal responsibility — as I told you just now — she must pay zakah on it, provided that it reaches the nisab.
The questioner : Provided that it reaches the nisab.
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : Excellent, may Allah reward you with good.
The Shaykh : And may the same be for you; therefore, the girl or the small child who has gold jewelry, when she reaches the age of legal responsibility — if Allah wills — and then the gifts increase and their total reaches the nisab; at that time she must pay the zakah, and if she is not aware of it; her parents should remind her.
The questioner : Yes! May Allah reward you.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.