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Zakaat on Allowances

Answered as per Hanafi Fiqh by Mahmoodiyah

Question:

Assalamualaikum
Respected Mufti Saheb
 
I would greatly appreciate it if you could answer the following query:
My father gives me $1000 dollars at the start of the year when I leave for madrasah. I have no other money to my name. This money is meant for my madrasah expenses and gets nearly finished at the end of the year. I still have about a hundred dollars left at the end. At the start of the next year he gives me money again.
Now when he gave me money the first time, would that make me sahib-e-Nisaab i.e.. after a year, which would be the start of the next year would I have to give Zakaat on the amount in my possession probably $1000 and during the year will I have to make Qurbani?
Would there be any difference in the ruling if he gave me an amount over the Nisaab at the beginning of every month. Many of my married fellow students are in a situation like that as their fathers give them R2000 a month for the expenses. They all say that they don’t need to give Zakaat as the money is for their Haajat e Asliya and is not extra as it only lasts for the expenses of that month.
Could Mufti Saheb please clarify this situation and if possible give us a Hawala from our Fiqhi Kitaabs to back it up.
 
Jazakallah Khairan and forgive for the Takleef

Answer:

 

If a person possesses the Nisaab of Zakaah at the beginning of the lunar year (612.36 g of silver or its equivalent in cash or stock or only 87.48g of gold) and at the ending of the lunar year he still possesses the Nisaab, then Zakaah will be Fardh on him as long as he did not use up all the money during the year.  However, if he used up or lost the entire amount anytime during the year then his Zakaah year will terminate and his new Zakaatable year will begin from the time he possesses the Nisaab again and will end after 12 lunar months only. 

In your case $1000 made you the Maalik (owner) of Nisaab, therefore if at the end of the lunar Zakaatable year you still possess the Nisaab then Zakaat will be Fardh on you as long as you do not use up the entire $1000 during the year.  If you use up the entire $1000 then your Zakaatable year will be terminated and you will only start counting your Zakaatable year when you take possession of Nisaab again.

As for a person who becomes Maalik of Nisaab every month, but at the end of the month he has nothing left then the conditions for paying Zakaah are not found which then means that at the beginning of every month (if he possesses Nisaab again) he will be starting a new Zakaatable year.   However, if he has something left over at the end of each month throughout his Zakaatable year and at the end of the Zakaatable year he still possess Zakaah Nisaab then he will have to pay Zakaah.  (Raddul Muhtaar, Vol. 2, Page 30 & 36,   Ahsanul Fataawaa, Vol. 4, Page 265)

As for the ruling of Qurbani, it will only become Waajib on a person if he possesses 612.36g of silver or any amount of wealth which amounts to the Nisaab of silver and it is over and above his Haajat-e-Asliyyah, be it gold, silver, merchandise, extra house, etc.  One should note that it is unnecessary to own the Nisaab of Qurbani for the entire year before Qurbani become Waajib.  (Raddul Muhtaar, Vol. 5, Page 219 & 221, Ahsanul Fataawaa, Vol. 7, Page 502-503)

This is ruling is the same for both cases mentioned in your question.

And Allah Ta’ala knows best

Ilyaas bin Hashim Limbada

Attested to as correct by:

Mufti Muhammad Ashraf

Darul Iftaa

Jameah Mahmoodiyah

Springs

13 May 2004

22 Rabee’ul Awwal 1425

This Q&A was indexed in 2012 from the website of Jameah Mahmoodiyah, South Africa. The original website no longer exists.

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