- Emulation - Taqleed 65
- Taharah 350
- Prayers 296
- Fasting 120
- Zakat 23
- Khums 82
- Pilgrimage 45
- Trade 120
- Enjoining the Good and Forbidding the Wrong 88
- Trust 1
- Leasing 3
- Lending & Borrowing 8
- Agency 1
- Will 3
- Gifts 4
- Religious Endowment (Waqf) 6
- Charity 4
- Marriage 300
- Divorce 67
- Vow, Covenant & Oath 16
- Kaffarah 6
- Usurpation 1
- Lost Property 5
- Hunting and Slaughtering 23
- Food & Drink 53
- Sea Animal 8
- Land Animals 11
- Birds 2
- Solid Food 6
- Liquids 11
- General Rulings 15
- Inheritance 14
- Compensation (Diyah and Dhaman) 10
- Diyah 7
- Ahlulbait 42
- Alcohol 15
- Banking 15
- Beliefs 89
- Blood Donation 2
- Clothing & Adornment 40
- Clothing 15
- Rings 6
- Cosmetics and Makeup 12
- Silk 2
- Gold 5
- Copyrights 2
- Converts 7
- Dance 4
- Eid 15
- Games 10
- Hijab 27
- General Issues 23
- History 2
- Holy Quran 29
- Human Cloning 2
- Imam Mahdi (Peace be upon him) 20
- Immigration 1
- Islamic Religion 31
- Internet 8
- Istikhara 10
- Islam & Christianity 3
- Jesus (Peace be upon him) 4
- Laws 2
- Man & Woman 32
- Masturbation 19
- Medical Issues 24
- Mosques 12
- Mourning Imam Hussein 34
- Mourning 7
- Muharram 10
- Tatbeer 6
- Ways of Mourning 11
- Narrations 11
- The Prophet - Peace be upon him- 9
- Organ Donation 2
- Quran Commentary 9
- Religious Chants 6
- Pets 7
- Religious Propagation 9
- Relationships 19
- Slavery 1
- Satan 2
- Smoking 8
- Supplication-Dua 22
- Tattoos 5
- Sport 2
- Tran Sexuality 4
- Vivisetion 1
- Wilayet Alfaqih 3
- Work 31
- Yoga 1
- Ziyara 15
Is it permissible for Zakat to be given to a particular appointed person in the Community? What if the appointed person or group does not spend the Zakat money as per Islamic guidelines, can we pay them the Zakat?
It is permissible to give the zakat to the appointed person if he is trustworthy to pass it to whoever deserves it. If one is not sure of his trustworthiness, his payment of Zakat to him is invalid.
Please could you explain why it has become widely circulated that the Shias pay the Khums, while the payment of Zakat is not common amongst them, although I know that they are both equally obligatory?
Zakat is among the obligations that have been emphasized by the Holy Quran and the traditions of the Prophet and the Ahlulbait (peace be upon them). Not paying it is considered among the major sins for which Allah has promised hellfire.
The jurists have explained the conditions and rulings about Zakat in their books. Zakat is obligatory on the following three groups of properties:
(1) Gold and silver minted coins.
(2) The four crops: wheat, barley, raisins and dates.
(3) The four livestock: camels, cows, goats and sheep.
Gold and silver coins are not used as tender nowadays, so the Zakat on this group does not apply. The Zakat on the other items are not obligatory unless their quantity reaches a particular threshold, which most people do not possess nowadays. One can see that the application of obligatory Zakat is much less than Khums, which is obligatory on all net income, as Allah has said: “And know that whatever thing you gain, indeed a fifth thereof is for Allah, and for the Messenger and for the kinsman and orphans and the needy and the wayfarer” (8:41).The condition of the obligation of Khums, which is the existence of a net income, applies to almost everybody, however little it may be. On the other hand, Zakat is only applicable for those who own at least a particular amount of the mentioned crops and livestock.
Is payment of Zakat on any amount of money obligatory and what are the conditions to be met, if any?
It is not obligatory to pay the Zakat on cash, as it is not one of the nine things upon which Zakat is obligatory. However, it is obligatory to pay Khums if the necessary conditions are met.
My wife has been pregnant for five months, and Eid-ul-Fitr is approaching, when I will have to pay Zakat-ul-Fitra. Do I also have to pay for my unborn child?
It is not obligatory to pay Zakat-ul-Fitra for the fetus.
For those that have a Sayyida mother, but whose father is not a Sayyid, are they permitted to collect Zakat ul-Fitra?
They are not considered as Hashemite, so they are permitted to collect Zakat ul-Fitra from non-Hashemites. The Zakat of non-Hashemites cannot be given to a needy Hashemite.
Is it permissible for me to give preference to practicing believers especially men having a beard and women observing hijab in giving alms, khums, zakat?
It is not permissible to pay such financial obligations to the consumer of wine and it is permissible to do so to sinners if they are needy. Based on compulsory precaution, it is not permissible to pay the committer of major sins which are worse than consuming wine, such as not performing the prayers.
How can I calculate zakat on my wealth?
There is no zakat on real estate or on cash assets.
If I am a guest, can I free my host from the liability of paying my family’s Zakat al-Fitra?
It is permissible to free the host from your Zakat al-Fitra by paying it yourself.
When paying Zakat al-Fitra, is it necessary that the poor Shia recipient offers the five daily prayers? Is it possible to give it to children of a single mother who does not pray?
Based on an obligatory precaution one should not pay Zakat al-Fitra to a believer who does not pray. It is permissible to pay it to a child.
My wife has some gold jewelry which she wears occasionally, and it is about 120 grams in total. Is Zakat due on this?
There is no Zakat on gold jewelry.
We have two cats; both are over four years old. Are they liable for Zakat?
There is no zakat on cats.
Is Zakat-ul-Fitra obligatory on someone whose income can meet his annual needs?
Yes, Zakat-ul-Fitra is not obligatory on those whose income cannot meet his annual expenses
My parents do not pay Zakat ul-Fitra on our behalf. So, is it obligatory on me as their son to pay it on my behalf?
It is obligatory based on compulsory precaution.
Do I have to pay any Zakat on my monthly salary?
Zakat is not obligatory on the monthly salary. Instead, Khums is applicable if certain conditions are met.
I did not fast during this month of Ramadan due to illness. Does this mean that I do not have to pay Zakat ul-Fitra?
A duty-bound individual who is not needy as per the Sharia is obligated to pay the Fitra for himself and all his dependents, even if he did not fast that month.
When Zakat al-Fitra is given to a poor person in cash rather than food, is it obligatory for the recipient to spend it on food?
It is not obligatory to spend the money of Zakat al-Fitra on food.
Is it obligatory or obligatory precaution to spend zakat al-fitra only on poor and needy Shia Muslim of my local area if they are present, or can we give it to them in other areas?
If one separates the zakat monies, it is not permissible to transfer them to another city if there is a needy Shia in the same city based on obligatory precaution. If there is no needy Shia present in the city, it is permissible to transfer the money.
What are the ways to know if someone is a Sayyid? And what are the consequences in the Islamic sharia of being a Sayyid?
Sayyids are the descendants of Hashim bin Abd Munaf. Such linage is proven by any of three ways: (i) knowing it, (ii) by the witness of two adil people, or (iii) by it being widely-known that leads to being confident about it.
The religious effects of being a Sayyid are the eligibility to collect the Sayyid’s share from the khums in the case of poverty, and the prohibition to collect the zakat from a non-Sayyid.
My wife and I are both working. We have a joint current account into which both our salaries are deposited. Is Zakat due on my bank account balance that remains at the end of our financial year?
The balance in the bank account is not subject to Zakat.
Is it permissible to pay Zakat al-Fitra to a needy person who did not fast the month of Ramadan?
If the needy person did not fast during the holy month for a valid reason accepted by the Sharia, then it is permissible to give him Zakat al-Fitra. If he abstained from fasting without a justifiable reason, then it is not permissible to pay it to him based on an obligatory precaution.