Q. Could you please explain whether zakah is payable on all assets every year, except what is needed for personal and dependents’ living. If so, does that not discourage saving to look after one’s children? If one is to pay 2.5% of one’s savings every year, then the whole amount will disappear in less than 50 years. I am told that zakah is payable only once, which means that if your savings this year are SR10,000 and you pay zakah for this amount, then next year you add to your savings a sum of SR2,000, then you pay zakah on this added amount only, because you already paid zakah for the first amount. If this is correct, then it sounds more encouraging to saving. Please comment.
K. Zahid
A. Zakah is an act of worship required of every Muslim, male or female, who owns more than the threshold of zakah, which is equivalent to 85 grams of gold, in excess of what he needs for his own and his dependents’ living. It is imposed on every type of property that is liable to growth. Thus, it is not imposed on a person’s own accommodation, or on the tools of his trade, even though these may be costly.
Thus, no zakah is payable on the value of your shop if you run a trade, or on your taxi if you are a taxi driver, etc. But it is payable on capital and profit, every year, at the rate of 2.5 percent for most types of money or property, although the rate may be different in some situations. An important aspect is the liability of the property to grow. Thus, if you have a farmland, your zakah is applicable to your produce; and if you have an animal farm, zakah is payable on your animals, be they sheep, cows, camels, etc.
It is not true that zakah is payable once only. It is payable every year. If you have some savings and you keep them for five years, you pay zakah for them every year of these five. Does this inhibit savings? Certainly not, because Islam does not like money to remain idle, unused. It should be invested. The Prophet has warned against leaving money idle, saying it would be eaten up by zakah. A person who has more than enough for his needs should express his gratitude to God by paying his zakah to help other members of the community who are less fortunate than he is. It is only a person who keeps his savings unused that suffers reduction through zakah. Anyone who invests his savings is likely to increase his savings even though he has to pay zakah.
On ablution
Q. What are the rules concerning ablution while wearing one’s socks? Should one sprinkle one’s socks when performing ablution?
I. Salahuddin, Taif
A. If you wear your socks after you have performed ablutions in the morning, you can wipe over them when you need a fresh ablution at any time later in the day. You do not have to wear your socks immediately after having the first ablution. You can wear them at any later time, before you invalidate your wudhu or ablution. When you need a fresh ablution, you do not have to sprinkle your socks. This is wrong. All you need to do is to wet your hand and wipe over the top part of your foot with your fingers. In fact, wiping with one’s finger is sufficient over any part of the top of your foot. If you have your first ablution when you perform your dawn or Fajr prayer, you may wipe over your socks for the rest of the day, until the following morning. However, if you take off your socks after you have invalidated your first wudhu, you need to have a fresh full ablution before you put them on again in order to avail yourself of this concession.