QUESTION:
I took out a car loan on Islamic finance. I am currently in debt with the bank for over R240 000. It will take a few years to pay this off. Am I still liable to pay Zakaah? Or, am I eligible to receive Zakaah?
I own some clothing items and shoes which have been hardly used and I own a laptop. Will these items affect my eligibility for Zakaah?
ANSWER:
From the outset, our Darul Ifta does not approve of any Islamic finance options with regards to
purchasing a car. Coming to the queried scenario, you will now have to ascertain whether your Zakaatable assets are more than your liabilities, or vice versa. Your Zakaatable assets include cash at home, cash in the bank, trade in stock, gold, silver, savings and investments.
Furthermore, when calculating your liabilities, you will only take this loan into
consideration for the amount that you will pay for 12 months. For example, the entire debt as
stated in the query is R240 000, however, you will only pay R60 000 for the duration of 12
months. As such, you will only take R60 000 into consideration for your liabilities.
Once you have ascertained your Zakaatable assets and liabilities, you may now consider
whether you are applicable for receiving Zakaah or not. If your liabilities are more than your
Zakaatable assets, then you may receive Zakaah. Furthermore, jackets, laptops, etc. are not considered as Zakaatable assets since you are using them, irrespective of how often or how seldom.
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّـهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ
فَرِيضَةً مِّنَ اللَّـهِ وَاللَّـهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ ﴿التوبة: ٦٠﴾
وهو أن يكون مالكاً لمقدار النصاب، فاضلاً عن مسكنه وثيابه وأثاثه وفرسه وسلاحه وعبيده (منحة السلوك في شرح
تحفة الملوك ص246 ج1)
هو الفقير، وهو: من يملك مالا يبلغ نصابا ولا قيمته من أي مال كان ولو صحيحا مكتسبا والمسكين وهو: من لا شيء له
(ثمرة النجاح ص655)
(RE: Fatawa Darul Uloom Deoband, Vol.6, Pg.57)
ALLAH TA’ALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST!
ANSWERED BY:
Mufti Abdul Kader Fazlani
Date: 10 Rabi-ul-Aakhir 1448 / 22 September 2026
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY:
Mufti Yacoob Vally Saheb