How to Pay the Zakah of Land

Q: How do you pay the zakah of land and the like? Is it sufficient to pay the zakah for it once, covering the number of years, when it is sold?

A: If the land and the like, such as a house or a car, are prepared for trade, it is obligatory to pay its zakah every year according to its value at the completion of the lunar year, and it is not permissible to delay this, except for one who is unable to pay its zakah because he has no money other than it. In that case, he is given time until he sells it and pays its zakah for all the years, each year according to its value at the completion of the lunar year, whether the value is more than the price or less; I mean the price by which he bought the land, car, or house.
This is the position of the majority of scholars, based on what was reported from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he ordered the payment of charity from what is prepared for sale, and because trade assets are turned over to seek profit among various types of goods, it is obligatory for the Muslim to pay their zakah every year, just as if he had kept them as cash in his hand. May Allah guide everyone to understanding in the religion and steadfastness upon it; He is the best of those asked.