Miscellaneous questions about zakat.

  1. Whenever a complete year has passed on the minimum amount of wealth liable for zakat, payment of zakat becomes “wajib”. You need to calculate your zakat on that prescribed date for payment.  Since you have been calculating your zakat in the month of Ramadhan, but on inconsistent dates, you can now establish a date of your choice to start calculating your zakat for all previous years according to that date. The rates of gold and silver used in calculating zakat for previous years must be the current market rates published on the date you are calculating your zakat for previous years. Rates of previous years are not considered. 2. Upon completion of the zakat year, unnecessary delay in calculating zakat becomes “makrooh”.   3. Since your wife is already a “saheb-e-Nisab”, zakat for the dollar amount in her possession must be calculated along with zakat of her other wealth. 4. If your wife was aware of the fact that you have been paying zakat of her valuables on her behalf, that should suffice and there is no need to pay again. Since the wife is generally the owner of her jewelry, the payment of zakat is actually “wajib” on her. If she has money, she should pay it from that money, otherwise, she can pay zakat through a portion of her own jewelry. However, if a husband pays zakat on his wife’s behalf, that is adequate and is acceptable. It is not compulsory that the wife must pay her zakat through her own means. The husband can also gift some money to his wife which she can use to pay her portion of zakat. For all those years you have been paying zakat on your wife’s behalf, as long as she was aware of it, zakat from her is considered paid, and there is no need to pay again. 5&6 – You are allowed to pay your zakat and sadaqa-tul-fitr money to your deserving relatives overseas. 7 – Nowadays, “Nisab” for silver is 612 grams and 360 milligrams. “Nisab” for gold is 87 grams and 380 milligrams. According to “tola” weight, there are two types:  a. The “tola” conversion according to the authentic “shar’ee” weight is 11 grams and 664 milligrams. Therefore per this conversion the “nisab” for silver will be 52.50 tolas. b. The “tola” conversion according to the customary weight is 10 grams, therefore “nisab” for silver will be 61 tolas, 2 grams and 360 milligram per this conversion. c. For “tola” estimated at 11 grams and 664 milligrams, the “nisab” for gold will be 7.50 tolas. d. For “tola” estimated at 10 grams, the “nisab” for gold will be 8 tolas, 7 grams and 480 milligrams. Using any of the above weight conversions, if you have calculated your zakat at 2.5% of the total weight of gold and/or silver, your zakat has been calculated correctly and there is no need to pay any extra.   واللہ اعلم بالصواب

Fatawa ID: 1058