The amount of zakah on crops watered by rain, given the hardship and high expenses
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Question:
This is a question from the listener Uthman Shijil Mish, from Turkey, the village of Shaykhmir. He says: I am asking about agricultural crops. It is well known that crops watered by water from the sky and rain are subject to one-tenth, and those watered by irrigation are subject to half of one-tenth. The difference between them is that those watered by irrigation involve hardship and great expense, so the rate was reduced to half of one-tenth. Those watered by rainwater do not involve hardship or great expense; therefore, the rate was not reduced to half of one-tenth, but rather it is one-tenth.
In our time, even crops watered by water from the sky and rain involve hardship and great expense. This is because they are planted using automatic machines, which burn a lot of fuel in the planting process. Fertilizer may also be applied, incurring a high cost. They are harvested using automatic machines, which also burn a lot of fuel in the harvesting process, and a large expense is incurred on them. Should this be analogized to crops watered by irrigation due to the cause of hardship and expense, such that half of one-tenth is paid from it? Or should it not be analogized, and one-tenth be paid? Please provide us with a comprehensive answer. May Allah reward you.
Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tied the ruling to the watering, and did not pay attention to what comes after that regarding harvesting, nor to what comes before that regarding leveling the land. That is a separate matter with no connection to zakah. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) tied the ruling to something other than this.
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) legislates for the entire Ummah, its first and last members. His legislation is not for the people of his time only, but rather it is for the people of his time and for those who come after them until the Day of Resurrection. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) knows what will occur in the future regarding the invention of machines, and the urgent need for fuel in the engines required for harvesting, sowing, and other things. So these things mentioned by the questioner regarding lands planted with rainwater do not affect the zakah. The obligatory amount in that is one-tenth; for it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:Jami` at-Tirmidhi 640Sahih (Darussalam) It was narrated by al-Bukhari in the Sahih, and it also has corroborating narrations.
This indicates that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider what comes after the watering, or after the completion of the crop, nor what comes before that at the time of sowing. Rather, the ruling is tied to the watering. So what is watered by flowing springs, rivers, and rain, this is subject to the full one-tenth, one out of ten, one hundred out of every thousand, and so on. And what is watered by waterwheels, machines, camels, cows, and the like, or by sprinkling, all of this is subject to half of one-tenth, on account of the expense incurred in watering it. And success is from Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
This is a question from the listener Uthman Shijil Mish, from Turkey, the village of Shaykhmir. He says: I am asking about agricultural crops. It is well known that crops watered by water from the sky and rain are subject to one-tenth, and those watered by irrigation are subject to half of one-tenth. The difference between them is that those watered by irrigation involve hardship and great expense, so the rate was reduced to half of one-tenth. Those watered by rainwater do not involve hardship or great expense; therefore, the rate was not reduced to half of one-tenth, but rather it is one-tenth.
In our time, even crops watered by water from the sky and rain involve hardship and great expense. This is because they are planted using automatic machines, which burn a lot of fuel in the planting process. Fertilizer may also be applied, incurring a high cost. They are harvested using automatic machines, which also burn a lot of fuel in the harvesting process, and a large expense is incurred on them. Should this be analogized to crops watered by irrigation due to the cause of hardship and expense, such that half of one-tenth is paid from it? Or should it not be analogized, and one-tenth be paid? Please provide us with a comprehensive answer. May Allah reward you.
Answer:
The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) tied the ruling to the watering, and did not pay attention to what comes after that regarding harvesting, nor to what comes before that regarding leveling the land. That is a separate matter with no connection to zakah. So the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) tied the ruling to something other than this.
The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) legislates for the entire Ummah, its first and last members. His legislation is not for the people of his time only, but rather it is for the people of his time and for those who come after them until the Day of Resurrection. And Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He) knows what will occur in the future regarding the invention of machines, and the urgent need for fuel in the engines required for harvesting, sowing, and other things. So these things mentioned by the questioner regarding lands planted with rainwater do not affect the zakah. The obligatory amount in that is one-tenth; for it is established from him (peace and blessings be upon him) that he said:
the Ushr of what was watered by the heavens and steams, or through natural channels, and half of the Ushr for what is watered by irrigation.
فيما سقت السماء والعيون أو كان عثريًا العشر، وفيما سقي بالنضح نصف العشرThis indicates that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) did not consider what comes after the watering, or after the completion of the crop, nor what comes before that at the time of sowing. Rather, the ruling is tied to the watering. So what is watered by flowing springs, rivers, and rain, this is subject to the full one-tenth, one out of ten, one hundred out of every thousand, and so on. And what is watered by waterwheels, machines, camels, cows, and the like, or by sprinkling, all of this is subject to half of one-tenth, on account of the expense incurred in watering it. And success is from Allah.
The presenter: May Allah reward you.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.