Assalamualaykum Zakaat related question. I invested 2 lak and in lieu I was receiving certain percentage of the profit. For my necessity, I expressed withdrawal of the investment, since THEN the man hasn’t paid me back original money nor the profit saying that business is bad. Now it’s been 5 years in this way. I become nisab of zakaat when this money is added otherwise no. My question is, at the moment, I am virtually deducting zakaat from the money I would get and minusing from total amount. In effect, I am not paying zakaat to no one but writing the account so that I can pay zakaat as soon as I receive. In case, if this man totally failed to pay me original investment, how to pay the zakaat? Do I have to pay all past accumulated zakaat or not? Jazakallah
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
Sister in Islam,
Your query is not clear. You may redraft your question and resend it to us with the following clarifications:
1. What was the nature of the investment?
2. If available, forward us the investment contract you agreed upon.
3. Do you have any expectations of receiving that money in the future or do you believe it is highly unlikely you will ever receive this money? If so, when did you come to this conclusion and why?
If it is easier for you to explain your situation in Urdu, then you may resend your query in Urdu.
You may forward your reply to: admin@daruliftaa.net
Ref: Hammad Jogiat
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hammad Ibn Ismail Jogiat
Student Darul Iftaa
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
Clarification Received: Sept 15 2019
Askimam
Question ID: 43242
Clarification Sent: Sunday, September 15, 2019
Shortened Question:
Zakat on investment which is not being repaid
Question:
1. What was the nature of the investment?
2 lak was given to the business so that the stock(fabric) can be bought and sold. Then quarterly, profit is calculated and according to the percentage of my investment at the time, portion of profit is given.
2. If available, forward us the investment contract you agreed upon.
Only verbal agreement which I answered above no 1.
3. Do you have any expectations of receiving that money in the future or do you believe it is highly unlikely you will ever receive this money? If so, when did you come to this conclusion and why?
Not much hope left to receive. Previously, he used to say he would give but he never did. Then in Sep 2018, when I sent a person to talk to him directly, he said he would pay me partially but he was unable to do so again. Also little later, I was told the man’s father was admitted to the hospital which he needed to pay the bill and he himself was involved in debt now. So I assume that is very unlikely he would pay me back.
(Sorry about my English. My mother tongue isn’t urdu either. I don’t know any hanafi scholar who speaks Korean)
Answer:
In the Name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
As-salāmu ‘alaykum wa-rahmatullāhi wa-barakātuh.
In principle, if one is owed money and he has no hope of the money being paid back, the amount owed will be considered non-existent. Thus, that amount will not be Zakatable.[i] However, if one does receive payment of the money owed to him in the future, he does not have to give zakat for the previous years and will only include it in the upcoming zakat.[ii]
Accordingly, if you have no hope of being paid back, then zakat will not be necessary on the two lakhs owed to you for the past five years.
You state that you have been keeping account of your assets and zakat for the last five years whilst including the two lakhs owed to you in the amount. You also state that when including the two lakhs owed to you, then you reach the minimum threshold (nisaab) of zakat, otherwise you don’t reach the nisaab of zakat.
If this is the case and in any of the last five years, your assets didn’t reach nisaab after subtracting the amount that was owed to you, then you will not be liable to pay zakat for that year.
And Allah Ta’āla Knows Best
Hammad Ibn Ismail Jogiat
Student Darul Iftaa
Cambridge, Ontario, Canada
Checked and Approved by,
Mufti Ebrahim Desai.
الدر المختار وحاشية ابن عابدين (رد المحتار) – ابن عابدين، محمد أمين بن عمر بن عبد العزيز عابدين الدمشقي الحنفي (المتوفى: 1252هـ) – دار الفكر-بيروت (344/2)[i]
ومال الرحمتي إلى هذا وقال بل في زماننا يقر المديون بالدين وبملاءته ولا يقدر الدائن على تخليصه منه فهو بمنزلة العدم.
بدائع الصنائع في ترتيب الشرائع – علاء الدين، أبو بكر بن مسعود بن أحمد الكاساني الحنفي (المتوفى: 587هـ) – دار الكتب العلمية (10/2) [ii]
وأما الدين الوسط فما وجب له بدلا عن مال ليس للتجارة كثمن عبد الخدمة، وثمن ثياب البذلة والمهنة وفيه روايتان عنه، ذكر في الأصل أنه تجب فيه الزكاة قبل القبض لكن لا يخاطب بالأداء ما لم يقبض مائتي درهم فإذا قبض مائتي درهم زكى لما مضى، وروى ابن سماعة عن أبي يوسف عن أبي حنيفة أنه لا زكاة فيه حتى يقبض المائتين ويحول عليه الحول من وقت القبض وهو أصح الروايتين عنه
الفتاوى الهندية – مكتبة رشيدية (175/1)
وأما سائر الديون المقر بها فهي على ثلاث مراتب عند أبي حنيفة – رحمه الله تعالى – ضعيف ، وهو كل دين ملكه بغير فعله لا بدلا عن شيء نحو الميراث أو بفعله لا بدلا عن شيء كالوصية أو بفعله بدلا عما ليس بمال كالمهر وبدل الخلع والصلح عن دم العمد والدية وبدل الكتابة لا زكاة فيه عنده حتى يقبض نصابا ويحول عليه الحول
فتاوى قاضيخان – مكتبة رشيدية (252/1)
الديون ثلاثة دين قوى وهو بدل مال التجارة والفرض ودين وسط وهو بدل مال لم يكن للتجارة كثمن ثياب البذلة وعبد الخدمة ودار السكنى ودين ضعيف وهو بدل ما ليس بمال كالمهر والوصية وبدل الخلع والصلح عن دم العمد والدية ففي الدين القوي تجب الزكاة إذا حال الحول ويتراخى الأداء إلى أن يقبض أربعين درهما وكلما قبض أربعين درهما يلزمه درهم وفي الدين الوسط لا يجب الأداء ما لم يقبض مائتي درهم ولا يعتبر الحول بعد القبض ويعتد بما مضى من الحول قبل القبض في الصحيح من الرواية وفي الدين الضعيف لا تجب الزكاة ما لم يقبض مائتي درهم ويحل الحول بعد القبض
احسن الفتاوى (ج:4 ص:271)
فتاوى قاسمية (ج:10 ص:371)
فتاوى عثمانية (ج:3 ص:414)
فتاوى عثمانى (ج:2 ص:76)
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