Do I need to pay the Zakat if I am accumulating money for a needy purpose?

Question

Say, for example, that I desperately need to build a house and to do this I am accumulating money. Say after 1 year I have accumulated 10K dollars but that still wont solve my purpose and the expense I incur to build my house are more than 10K. In that case do I have to pay the Zakat on the 10K that I have accumulating for building my house or is this amount waived off, given that this is not my real savings.

Answer 1

UPDATE 2:

Here is a fatwa which says that money saved for any purpose is accumulated money, and all accumulated money must have zakat paid on it!

Zakaat is paid on accumulated cash, not on income. You stated that in 2000 you started working, thus you should work out in what month (Islamic, not solar) you had accumulated cash equivalent to the nisab. This month will now be your zakaat month. If for example it was April 2000 which corresponds with Muharram 1421, then Muharram is your Zakaat month.

Now you have to work out how much accumulated cash you had in Muharram 1422(April 2001) and work out 2,5 % of that.. Do the same for Muharram 1423(March 2002) and this Muharram 1424 (March 2003).

After working out these 2,5% of these 3 amounts, compare it to the amount that you paid in the last 3 years. If you paid more then you can carry it over for next year's Zakaat and if less then you have to pay the difference. You will now pay zakaat next year on the amount of cash you have in Muharram.

and Allah Ta'ala Knows Best

Mufti Ebrahim Desai

Source

UPDATED ANSWER WITH REFERENCES:

Zakat is compulsory upon a person who possesses the quantum of nisab (i.e. 612.35 grams of silver or 87.47 grams of gold or currency, wealth equivalent to that amount) for a complete lunar year; which is over and above his basic needs and also free from debts. (Raddul Muhtar p.171 v.3)

Zakat is obligatory on wealth, which remains in a person’s possession for a lunar year regardless of why they were held onto. (Raddul Muhtar p.179 v.3)

Keeping the aforementioned point in mind, we can derive that zakat is obligatory on wealth with the passing of one lunar year even if one was saving to buy a house.

Only Allah Knows Best

Mohammed Tosir Miah

Darul Ifta Birmingham

Source

ORIGINAL ANSWER:

As far as I understand, you have to pay zakat on any amount of money above the nizab value which you have had in your possession for a year.

To be honest, do you really want to not give zakat? A nice metaphor for zakat I heard once was this.

If you have a plant, and you want this plant to grow, you should trim it regularly to promote growth!

Now think of the plant as your money, you want it to grow, so you should regularly give zakat (trim it) to promote further growth in your savings.

Plus, savings is any amount of money you have in your position at any given time minus critical debt. Saving for a house is not critical debt.

Answer 2

My dear, as your tag expresses it, zakat is one of Islam's pillars.

If all the conditions are satisfied for zakat, you have to give.

In Sahih Muslim you will find this hadeeth:

Asma', daughter of Abu Bakr (Allah be pleated with him), reported: The Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) said to me: Spend, and do not calculate, or otherwise Allah would also calculate in your case. (Book 5, Number 2243)

There's also a hadeeth that I can't find in English from Sahih Muslim too:

ما نقصت صدَقة منْ مال وما زاد اللهُ عبدًا بعفو إلا عزا وما تواضع أحد لله إلاَّ رفعهُ الله

where the first about Sadaqa means: Sadaqa does not make you have less money.

Though have faith and don't worry about your money.

Allah gives it to us and he can take it from us, why carrying that much? And may Allah give you the residence you always dreamed of, here and in Jannah inchae Allah ;)

Answer 3

Assalamualaikum.

First I would like to inform you about the matter that Zakat is not Farz upon any daily necessities. That doesn't mean that you will buy lots of cars or ACs for your comfort and won't pay Zakat. The case that you have mentioned is, you are accumulating money for building your house. In this case you don't need to pay Zakat. But if you are thinking of making your house too sofisticated/luxurious, in that case you will need to pay Zakat. Becasuse, Islam does not allow one to lead a luxurious life when the others are living a life full of poverty and for that case Zakat is made Farz.

I think you have Inshallah recieved your answer. For any other matter related to this, feel free to ask.

Answer 4

there're two opinion for that.. the fist one says that have to pay zakat becouse if the money has reached the limits of Zakat then you have to pay..

and the second one says : if you are so poor and you need to buy house soon so you can not to pay " Islam is a religion of ease and not religion of hardship " ..

but i prefer the fist one because the zakat wont less your money and there's a hadeeth :

مانقص مال من صدقة
Money does not detract from the charity

and allah says in Surat At-Tawbah (103) :

خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا وَصَلِّ عَلَيْهِمْ ۖ إِنَّ صَلَاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَّهُمْ ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ

Take, [O, Muhammad], from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them increase, and invoke [ Allah 's blessings] upon them. Indeed, your invocations are reassurance for them. And Allah is Hearing and Knowing.

so it's better to pay zakat and be sure that God will bless your money , your home in future and your life :)

my reference is one of trusted Scholar

and this site : islamqa.info

Answer 5

I think, Every people accumulate money to build, get something. We accumulate money to get a Car, Building, Carrier etc, isn't it?

Accumulating money doesn't prevent you from paying Zakat. Zakat becomes fard (compulsory) upon you, If you have money for a complete year fulfilling Nisab (The minimum quantity, upon which Zakat becomes compulsory).

This answer is given from knowledge of me. I'll try to update the answer with necessary citations and sources soon, Insha' Allah.

Update after knowing the exact ruling

My assumption is seems correct. I've found this question from another answer. It is saying, you have to pay zakat for accumulating money.

But Note that, If you already bought a house and you are using that house, you don't need to pay zakat. Because, Your house which you are using is considered among necessity. ^source

The reason of this rulings

I think, the reason for this ruling is, The house you are currently living is considered a necessity and indeed it is. But, if you are accumulating money to buy a house, it is not included in necessity, because, You are already living in a house.

For example, if this ruling was not there, then I could say, I want to buy a house in the USA's most precious and ranked area, and to fulfill this destiny, may be I have to wait a long time, it may be impossible in this life also. Though, You are living happily with fulfilling all your necessity in the meantime. Thus, this is excluded.