Q: When will zakaat be obligatory?
A: The first day a person acquires wealth which equals the nisaab and the wealth remains with him for an entire lunar year, zakaat will be waajib on that wealth.
E.g. Zaid acquired R3, 000 (which is the nisaab amount) on the first of the lunar year; 1st of Muharram 1431. This wealth remained with him for an entire lunar year. On the 1st of Muharram 1432 zakaat will be waajib upon the wealth. It should be noted that if the amount decreased during the course of the year e.g. R3, 000 decreased to R1, 000 but at the end of the zakaatable year (1st of Muharram 1432) the amount returned to R3, 000, zakaat will be waajib. However, if during the year all the money was spent, then despite the full amount (R3, 000) being found at the end of the lunar year, zakaat will not be waajib. Instead one year will be calculated from the next time this person acquired the nisaab amount.
وشرط كمال النصاب ولو سائمة في طرفي الحول …. فلايضر نقصانه بينهما، فلوهلك كله بطل الحول (شامي 2/302)
Answered by:
Mufti Zakaria Makada
Checked & Approved:
Mufti Ebrahim Salejee (Isipingo Beach)