We have silver and we have not paid its zakah for fifteen years, and it has not been appraised for a price, and we do not know how much it weighs
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The questioner : We have silver and we have not paid its zakah, not even once, in fifteen years, knowing that it has not been appraised for a price and we do not know how much it weighs. Do we pay its zakah once, or for all the past years? And how is it to be paid? And if we sell it, do we pay zakah on it? Give us a ruling, may Allah reward you.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for you to pay the zakah of this silver for what has passed, because zakah is due on the silver itself. Therefore, you must go back to the past and determine what the value of this silver was when the lunar year of zakah arrived, and you must pay the zakah according to its value. If we estimate that this silver was worth ten thousand riyals in the first year, you pay the zakah of ten thousand riyals. In the second year, the silver dropped and became worth eight thousand riyals, so you pay the zakah of eight thousand riyals. In the third year, the silver increased and became worth fifteen thousand riyals, so you pay the zakah of fifteen thousand riyals, and so on. You measure it according to this.
And on this occasion, I wish to warn my Muslim brothers against being negligent regarding the matter of zakah, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) warned His servants in His saying:[At-Tawbah 9:34-35].
And in the authentic collections, it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:Sahih Muslim 987a.
So let the rich beware of the consequences of being negligent with the zakah of their wealth, and let them know with true knowledge that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 2029Sahih (Darussalam) We ask Allah to help us with ourselves and to protect us from the stinginess of our souls.
The questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you.
The Shaykh : It is obligatory for you to pay the zakah of this silver for what has passed, because zakah is due on the silver itself. Therefore, you must go back to the past and determine what the value of this silver was when the lunar year of zakah arrived, and you must pay the zakah according to its value. If we estimate that this silver was worth ten thousand riyals in the first year, you pay the zakah of ten thousand riyals. In the second year, the silver dropped and became worth eight thousand riyals, so you pay the zakah of eight thousand riyals. In the third year, the silver increased and became worth fifteen thousand riyals, so you pay the zakah of fifteen thousand riyals, and so on. You measure it according to this.
And on this occasion, I wish to warn my Muslim brothers against being negligent regarding the matter of zakah, because Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) warned His servants in His saying:
And those who hoard gold and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah - give them tidings of a painful punishment. (35) The Day when it will be heated in the fire of Hell and seared therewith will be their foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, [it will be said], "This is what you hoarded for yourselves, so taste what you used to hoard."
وَالَّذِينَ يَكْنِزُونَ الذَّهَبَ وَالْفِضَّةَ وَلا يُنفِقُونَهَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَبَشِّرْهُمْ بِعَذَابٍ أَلِيمٍ * يَوْمَ يُحْمَى عَلَيْهَا فِي نَارِ جَهَنَّمَ فَتُكْوَى بِهَا جِبَاهُهُمْ وَجُنُوبُهُمْ وَظُهُورُهُمْ هَذَا مَا كَنَزْتُمْ لِأَنفُسِكُمْ فَذُوقُوا مَا كُنتُمْ تَكْنِزُونَAnd in the authentic collections, it is narrated from Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
If any owner of gold or silver does not pay what is due on him, when the Day of Resurrection would come, plates of fire would be beaten out for him; these would then be heated in the fire of Hell and his sides, his forehead and his back would be cauterized with them. Whenever these cool down, (the process is) repeated during a day the extent of which would be fifty thousand years, until judgment is pronounced among servants, and he sees whether his path is to take him to Paradise or to Hell.
ما من صاحب ذهب ولا فضة لا يؤدي منها حقها -وفي لفظ : زكاتها- إلا إذا كان يوم القيامة صفحت له صفائح من نار وأحمي عليها في نار جهنم فيكوى بها جنبه وجبينه وظهره، كلما بردت أعيدت في يوم كان مقداره خمسين ألف سنة حتى يقضى بين العباد، ثم يرى سبيله إما إلى الجنة وإما إلى النارSo let the rich beware of the consequences of being negligent with the zakah of their wealth, and let them know with true knowledge that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said:
Charity does not diminish wealth
ما نقصت صدقة من مالThe questioner : O Allah, amen. May Allah bless you.