Issue
What is the ruling on paying zakat if it is initiated/started with RM1 for the purpose of da‘wah, specifically among young people such as primary and secondary school students?
In addition to the educational objective, practical activities are also implemented. These include receiving zakat payments (property), performing the akad (declaration), and reciting the supplication after the zakat talk/briefing session.
For information, LZS previously organised a similar programme known as Skim Ahlan around 10–15 years ago, as an introductory payment to familiarise new zakat payers and young people with zakat.
Feedback from the Internal Shariah Secretariat
Inistiatif The initiative to implement Start with Seringgit (Practical Programme in Schools) may be carried out as an early introduction to the obligation of zakat among young people, particularly primary and secondary school students. Studies show that individuals who receive religious education, whether formal or informal, from an early age tend to practise a religious way of life when they reach adulthood.1
Zakat is obligatory upon a person who fulfils five general conditions of obligation, namely: being Muslim, free, having complete ownership of wealth, reaching the nisab, and the completion of the haul. Every ownership of wealth is fully under the control of a particular individual, except where there is a Shariah-based impediment. For example, the owner of the wealth may be someone who is unable to manage it properly, such as a child or a person of unsound mind. In such cases, the guardian, custodian, or any individual or institution legally entrusted with guardianship will assume the responsibility of administering that wealth.2
In matters of zakat, the wealth of children and persons of unsound mind that fulfils the required conditions is subject to zakat without any difference of opinion according to the Shafi‘i school, and it is obligatory upon the guardian or custodian to pay zakat from the wealth of the child or the person of unsound mind.3
This is also the view of the majority of jurists (Jumhur al-Fuqaha’), namely the Maliki, Shafi‘i, and Hanbali schools..4
Young people who fulfil the five general conditions for the obligation of zakat are required to pay zakat at the rate of 2.5% of their total wealth, whether it is paid through their guardian/custodian or paid by themselves.
However, there is no impediment for individuals who do not fulfil the conditions of nisab and haul to make zakat payments, provided that such payments are made voluntarily by the payer, as indicated in the hadith narrated by Harithah bin Mudharrib:
عَنْ حَارِثَةَ بْنِ مُضَرِّبٍ قَالَ: جَاءَ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الشَّامِ إِلَى عُمَرَ، فَقَالُوا: إِنَّا قَدْ أَصَبْنَا أَمْوَالًا: خَيْلًا، وَرَقِيقًا، نُحِبُّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَنَا فِيهَا زَكَاةٌ وَطَهُورٌ، فَقَالَ: «مَا فَعَلَهُ صَاحِبَايَ قَبْلِي، فَأَفْعَلُهُ» ، فَاسْتَشَارَ أَصْحَابَ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَفِيهِمْ عَلِيٌّ، فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ: «هُوَ حَسَنٌ إِنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ جِزْيَةً يُؤْخَذُونَ بِهَا رَاتِبَةً» . قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: «فَسُنَّةُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِي أَنْ لَيْسَ فِي أَرْبَعٍ مِنَ الْإِبِلِ صَدَقَةٌ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ رَبُّهَا، وَقَوْلُهُ فِي الْغَنَمِ، فَإِذَا كَانَتْ سَائِمَةُ الرَّجُلِ نَاقِصَةً مِنْ أَرْبَعِينَ شَاةً شَاةٌ وَاحِدَةٌ، فَلَيْسَ فِيهَا صَدَقَةٌ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ رَبُّهَا، وَفِي الرِّقَّةِ رُبْعُ الْعُشْرِ، فَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ إِلَّا تِسْعِينَ وَمِائَةٍ، فَلَيْسَ فِيهَا صَدَقَةٌ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشَاءَ رَبُّهَا، دَلَالَةٌ عَلَى أَنَّ صَاحِبَ الْمَالِ إِنْ أَعْطَى صَدَقَةً مِنْ مَالِهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَتِ الصَّدَقَةُ غَيْرَ وَاجِبَةٍ فِي مَالِهِ، فَجَائِزٌ لِلْإِمَامِ أَخْذُهَا إِذَا طَابَتْ نَفْسُ الْمُعْطِي، وَكَذَلِكَ الْفَارُوقُ لَمَّا أَعْلَمَ الْقَوْمَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَالصِّدِّيقَ قَبْلَهُ لَمْ يَأْخُذَا صَدَقَةَ الْخَيْلِ وَالرَّقِيقِ، فَطَابَتْ أَنْفُسُهُمْ بِإِعْطَاءِ الصَّدَقَةِ مِنَ الْخَيْلِ وَالرَّقِيقِ مُتَطَوِّعِينَ جَازَ لِلْفَارُوقُ أَخْذَ الصَّدَقَةِ مِنْهُمْ كَمَا أَبَاحَ الْمُصْطَفَى صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَخْذَ الصَّدَقَةِ مِمَّا دُونَ خَمْسٍ مِنَ الْإِبِلِ، وَدُونَ أَرْبَعِينَ مِنَ الْغَنَمِ، وَدُونَ مِائَتَيْ دِرْهَمٍ مِنَ الْوَرِقِ»
Meaning:
Narrated by Harithah bin Mudharrib, who said: One day, a delegation from Syria came to meet ʿUmar r.a. They said, “Indeed, we have acquired wealth in the form of horses and slaves, and we hope that there is zakat due on our wealth that may purify it.” ʿUmar r.a replied, “Whatever was practised by my two predecessors before me, I will practise the same.” He then consulted the Companions of the Prophet SAW, among whom was ʿAli r.a. ʿAli r.a said, “That is good. If it is not jizyah, then it will be regarded as a voluntary act of worship.”
Abu Bakr r.a said: What was established as the Sunnah of the Prophet SAW is that for every four camels there is no zakat unless the owner wishes to give it. Likewise, regarding sheep, if the number owned by a man is less than forty, there is no obligation of zakat unless the owner wishes to give it. As for silver (riqqah), the rate is two and a half percent; if the amount is only one hundred and ninety, then there is no obligation of zakat unless the owner wishes to give it.
This indicates that if the owner of wealth is not yet obligated to pay zakat but wishes to give charity from his wealth, then the imam (leader) may accept it if the owner gives it voluntarily. This is what ʿUmar r.a did. He informed that the Prophet SAW and Abu Bakr r.a never took zakat from those two types of wealth, but when they were given voluntarily, it was permissible for the imam to accept them, just as the Messenger of Allah SAW allowed zakat to be taken from four camels that had not yet reached the nisab (five camels), and from sheep that had not reached forty in number, and from money that had not reached two hundred dirhams.5
Every good deed will be recorded, as explained in the saying of Allah SWT:
فَمَن يَعْمَلْ مِثْقَالَ ذَرَّةٍ خَيْرًۭا يَرَهُۥ (٧)
“So whoever does an atom’s weight of good will see it (in his record of deeds)!”
According to the fiqh principle مَا كَانَ أَكْثَرَ فِعْلًا كَانَ أَكْثَرَ فَضْلًا (the greater the action or sacrifice, the greater the virtue)6,
the reward granted is based on the actions performed by a person. The more good deeds or acts of worship one performs, the greater and more abundant the rewards and merits that will be attained.
Even if a payment made through the Start With Seringgit initiative is not counted as zakat, the person will still receive great reward, as it is given willingly as charity. Allah SWT says:
وَمَنْ تَطَوَّعَ خَيْرًا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ شَاكِرٌ عَلِيمٌ
Meaning:
“And whoever does a good deed willingly, then indeed Allah is Appreciative of it and All-Knowing.”
(Surah al-Baqarah: 158)
The Start With Seringgit (Practical Programme in Schools) may be implemented by taking into account two Shariah criteria (al-dhawabit) as proposed below:
LZS must ensure that students are aware of the general conditions for the obligation of zakat and the zakat nisab on wealth based on the current gold nisab.
LZS must not compel any student to participate in the Start With Seringgit encouragement campaign.
Talian Zakat Selangor : 1-300-88-4343
Emel : maklumbalasaduan@zakatselangor.com.my
