I have kept my shroud for ten years, is there zakah on it?
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The questioner : Is there zakah on a shroud or not, knowing that I have kept my shroud for about ten years?
The Shaykh : Keeping a shroud is not part of the Sunnah except for a prescribed purpose, as the man who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about a robe that was gifted to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did. He was asked: How did you ask for it? He said: "I wanted it to be my shroud", and it became his shroud.
This is not conceivable in our time. Therefore, it is not part of the Sunnah for a person to prepare his shroud, nor to prepare his burial place, i.e., his grave. If it is in a public cemetery, preparing the grave is forbidden because it secures a place for him that is more rightfully due to someone else, because the cemetery belongs to the one who died first. It is not permissible for anyone to dig a grave for himself in a public cemetery. Furthermore, he does not know whether he will die in this land or in another land, as Allah the Exalted said:[Luqman 31:34].
It is known that if a person prepares a shroud, he will not carry it with him in his travels, going and coming. Likewise, if he digs a grave for himself in a land, he does not know; perhaps he will die elsewhere. The conclusion is that preparing a shroud and preparing a grave is not part of the Sunnah and should not be done. If a person dies, he will find someone to shroud him, if Allah wills.
As for whether there is zakah on it, there is no zakah on it because there is no zakah on goods unless they are prepared for trade.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : Keeping a shroud is not part of the Sunnah except for a prescribed purpose, as the man who asked the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) about a robe that was gifted to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) did. He was asked: How did you ask for it? He said: "I wanted it to be my shroud", and it became his shroud.
This is not conceivable in our time. Therefore, it is not part of the Sunnah for a person to prepare his shroud, nor to prepare his burial place, i.e., his grave. If it is in a public cemetery, preparing the grave is forbidden because it secures a place for him that is more rightfully due to someone else, because the cemetery belongs to the one who died first. It is not permissible for anyone to dig a grave for himself in a public cemetery. Furthermore, he does not know whether he will die in this land or in another land, as Allah the Exalted said:
and no soul perceives in what land it will die
وَمَا تَدْرِي نَفْسٌ بِأَيِّ أَرْضٍ تَمُوتُIt is known that if a person prepares a shroud, he will not carry it with him in his travels, going and coming. Likewise, if he digs a grave for himself in a land, he does not know; perhaps he will die elsewhere. The conclusion is that preparing a shroud and preparing a grave is not part of the Sunnah and should not be done. If a person dies, he will find someone to shroud him, if Allah wills.
As for whether there is zakah on it, there is no zakah on it because there is no zakah on goods unless they are prepared for trade.
The questioner : May Allah bless you.