Discussion on the issue of zakat on trade goods
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The questioner : It is that... in Syria... in one of the regions, buildings are being constructed. The price of the land is about one hundred million Syrian pounds, and the building being constructed will certainly be inhabited by the wealthy, because the cost of the house is thirty or forty million pounds. In contrast, we leave it to the workers to work until they build it. But this worker, when he works, receives a wage of one hundred or two hundred Syrian pounds. This wage may perhaps suffice for him for just food and drink. However, if he wants to marry one of his sons and open a home for him, he is unable to open a home or buy a house with this wage, even for one million pounds. So we cannot, meaning, remove this person from the obligation of zakat unless his wealth reaches millions. And this person, although he is working for him, is not prepared to give him one million pounds to buy a house with, even if he spent his entire life. And when we do not obligate him with zakat and charity, and perhaps we are in a situation where stinginess has spread among the merchants, meaning, if we tell him about zakat, and two Muslims... you will find he owns millions and comes with a small amount... that this is the zakat... in the month of Ramadan. So how do we reconcile this example with the fact that we mention that there is no zakat on these buildings...
The Shaykh : It is as if you forgot some of my words. I told you that every owner of trade goods has an absolute obligation of zakat.
The questioner : What...
The Shaykh : And these people you are pointing to, they may perhaps deceive regarding the obligatory zakat. And I gave you an example just now, but it does not solve the problem, my brother... through a loan... while neglecting a side of the research... We said just now two things. The first thing is that this wealthy person who deployed his wealth to benefit society is more beneficial than that. You are now absent and saying that this person builds such and such, and in the millions, and so on. Why are you comparing this issue now with the wealthy person who hoarded his wealth? Why don't you tell the one who hoarded his wealth to deploy his wealth? You say because Allah, meaning, enriched him or sufficed him from falling into... Why don't you tell him to do as your companion did, because that is more beneficial after we agreed on this.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : We do not find...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Why don't... Why don't you also say that this one who deployed his wealth, and he is more beneficial to society than the first, we do not tell him to take out from his trade goods—and peace be upon you—some people in some issues, out of consideration for what they call... this is a deception upon the Shari'ah, because the Wise Lawgiver, whom every Muslim believes, when He legislated, He legislated a complete Shari'ah and did not leave a space... So now, if the contemporary mujtahid says that everything the wealthy person earns, he must pay zakat on it, well, this has no basis in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in the sayings of the Muslim imams in general. And I gave you an example of a tendency... knowing that the Hanafis are the most expansive of the schools in qiyas (analogical reasoning) and inclusion, and so on. Yet in such an example, they said there is not... Why? Because they did not consider it food...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... We cannot, we, observe the benefit of the poor at the expense of the wealthy except by a decree from Allah and His Messenger. Let us return to your example. If all the wealthy people were content with paying out two and a half percent, this example you gave regarding the poor person marrying and building a house, when he takes the zakat of two and a half percent...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... According to my dealings with merchants.
The Shaykh : ... Now, have you forgotten the point we agreed upon? I will remind you. Complete your speech.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : It is.
The questioner : According to my dealings with merchants, in the month of Ramadan they will pay out the zakat of their wealth. Many of them try to pay it out to one person, because this wealth... this person collects from several wealthy people, so he is able to build.
The Shaykh : Well, the second picture.
The questioner : The second picture.
The Shaykh : The poor... the other poor people.
The questioner : ... The same...
The Shaykh : Meaning, every poor person gets one hundred thousand.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, I want to remind you now. Well, these wealthy people, if they did not use their wealth for trade...
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, so you are imagining... the merchants are wealthy. We are saying that this trade, what grows it? Hoarding the wealth or deploying it in the market.
The questioner : Deploying it in the market.
The Shaykh : Deploying it in the market among the people is more beneficial for the wealthy and the poor at the same time. The important thing, in short, my brother, is that... but as the Lord of the Worlds said:[Al-'Ankabut 29:43], and there are issues... and the Muslim, every Muslim... his creed is to know the Shari'ah ruling, and then, as they said, he submits in submission if he is able to understand... so this is a blessing from Allah (Mighty and Majestic). But as we said just now: [Al-'Ankabut 29:43], so there is no evidence for zakat on trade goods, and the original ruling is non-existence in everything, the original ruling of wealth, due to his saying (peace be upon him)... regarding zakat: . Well, so the original ruling of wealth is prohibition, like the original ruling of trade, like the original ruling of honor. So it is not permissible now for us to make honor permissible through analogies... it is not permissible for us to make blood permissible through analogies... it is not permissible, it is not permissible for us to make wealth permissible through such analogies, because the Prophet (peace be upon him) declared that the original ruling of these three categories is prohibition. So whatever text comes regarding the head and the eye, if no text comes, we say: [Al-Qiyamah 75:14]. However, we still say that it is not taken... the wealthy... zakat absolutely, for they have zakat... specification, and the person is... perhaps... with a thousand, perhaps he is stingy too, as a wealthy person among the wealthy is stingy... And peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.
The questioner : Now, you have spoken, Shaykh... the issue is that if this wealthy person is a Muslim in truth, we know that trade goods are more beneficial for the wealth and increase the profit. In this case, he may pay out more than two and a half percent... for example, if he bought a house and sold it for such and such, he made a lot of money. His spending would be more.
The Shaykh : This is the meaning of my words.
The questioner : Yes, this is support. Yes, it is more beneficial if he has, of course, scrupulousness and mindfulness of Allah, and so on.
The Shaykh : It is as if you forgot some of my words. I told you that every owner of trade goods has an absolute obligation of zakat.
The questioner : What...
The Shaykh : And these people you are pointing to, they may perhaps deceive regarding the obligatory zakat. And I gave you an example just now, but it does not solve the problem, my brother... through a loan... while neglecting a side of the research... We said just now two things. The first thing is that this wealthy person who deployed his wealth to benefit society is more beneficial than that. You are now absent and saying that this person builds such and such, and in the millions, and so on. Why are you comparing this issue now with the wealthy person who hoarded his wealth? Why don't you tell the one who hoarded his wealth to deploy his wealth? You say because Allah, meaning, enriched him or sufficed him from falling into... Why don't you tell him to do as your companion did, because that is more beneficial after we agreed on this.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : We do not find...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Why don't... Why don't you also say that this one who deployed his wealth, and he is more beneficial to society than the first, we do not tell him to take out from his trade goods—and peace be upon you—some people in some issues, out of consideration for what they call... this is a deception upon the Shari'ah, because the Wise Lawgiver, whom every Muslim believes, when He legislated, He legislated a complete Shari'ah and did not leave a space... So now, if the contemporary mujtahid says that everything the wealthy person earns, he must pay zakat on it, well, this has no basis in the Book, nor in the Sunnah, nor in the sayings of the Muslim imams in general. And I gave you an example of a tendency... knowing that the Hanafis are the most expansive of the schools in qiyas (analogical reasoning) and inclusion, and so on. Yet in such an example, they said there is not... Why? Because they did not consider it food...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : ... We cannot, we, observe the benefit of the poor at the expense of the wealthy except by a decree from Allah and His Messenger. Let us return to your example. If all the wealthy people were content with paying out two and a half percent, this example you gave regarding the poor person marrying and building a house, when he takes the zakat of two and a half percent...
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Yes.
The questioner : ... According to my dealings with merchants.
The Shaykh : ... Now, have you forgotten the point we agreed upon? I will remind you. Complete your speech.
The questioner: Yes.
The Shaykh : It is.
The questioner : According to my dealings with merchants, in the month of Ramadan they will pay out the zakat of their wealth. Many of them try to pay it out to one person, because this wealth... this person collects from several wealthy people, so he is able to build.
The Shaykh : Well, the second picture.
The questioner : The second picture.
The Shaykh : The poor... the other poor people.
The questioner : ... The same...
The Shaykh : Meaning, every poor person gets one hundred thousand.
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : In any case, I want to remind you now. Well, these wealthy people, if they did not use their wealth for trade...
The questioner : Yes.
The Shaykh : Well, so you are imagining... the merchants are wealthy. We are saying that this trade, what grows it? Hoarding the wealth or deploying it in the market.
The questioner : Deploying it in the market.
The Shaykh : Deploying it in the market among the people is more beneficial for the wealthy and the poor at the same time. The important thing, in short, my brother, is that... but as the Lord of the Worlds said:
but none will understand them except those of knowledge.
وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَbut none will understand them except those of knowledge.
وَمَا يَعْقِلُهَا إِلَّا الْعَالِمُونَExcept that your blood, your wealth, and your honor are forbidden to you, as the sanctity of this day of yours, in this land of yours, in this month of yours, in this year of yours; is it not that I have conveyed it? O Allah, then be a witness
إلا إن دمائكم وأموالكم وأعراضكم حرام عليكم كحرمة يومكم هذا ، في بلدكم هذا ، في شهركم هذا ، في عامكم هذا ؛ ألا هل بلغت ؟! اللهم فاشهَدْRather, man, against himself, will be a witness,
بَلِ الْإِنْسَانُ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بَصِيرَةٌThe questioner : Now, you have spoken, Shaykh... the issue is that if this wealthy person is a Muslim in truth, we know that trade goods are more beneficial for the wealth and increase the profit. In this case, he may pay out more than two and a half percent... for example, if he bought a house and sold it for such and such, he made a lot of money. His spending would be more.
The Shaykh : This is the meaning of my words.
The questioner : Yes, this is support. Yes, it is more beneficial if he has, of course, scrupulousness and mindfulness of Allah, and so on.
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.