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Is there any zakah to be paid on a student grant?

23-12-1998

Question 1119

Assalamualaikum wr. wbr.
First of all may I introduce my self, I am Desrial from XXX, and now I am studying in XXX. I have one question to you. Would you please tell me, how about my obligatory to pay zakat, since that I am the student, and I have no salary. But I have scholarship from Govt. of Japan. Is it necessary to pay zakat or not?
Thank you fery much for your kindly help and attention.

Answer

Praise be to Allah.

Zakaah is obligatory on four kinds of wealth: agricultural produce (grains, fruits, etc.); freely-grazing livestock and cattle; gold and silver (and their equivalents in modern currencies and bank-notes) – the zakaah on which is 2.5%; and trade goods.

Seeing that the money you have is in the form of paper currency paid to you as a grant from the Japanese government, the easiest way for you with regard to paying zakaah in this case is: wait until after one hijri year has passed, then check your bank and pay 2.5% (twenty-five out of every thousand) from whatever you have. But if you are living hand to mouth, as it were (i.e., spending it all straightaway), and you do not have enough left to reach the level of the nisaab, and a year has passed, then you are not obliged to pay zakaah in this case. And Allaah knows best.

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On What is Zakah Due
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