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Zakat in Shia
Islam

By: Nader Zaveri

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As Sh`ahs we are constantly bombarded with questions and accusations. One of these accusations is
that we, Sh`ahs, abandon the paying of al-Zakh. We do not abandon the paying of al-Zakh, rather we have a
limited number of things that it is obligatory to pay it on. In our adth al-Zakh is far (obligatory) upon
these nine things.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
8.
9.

Gold
Silver
Wheat
Barley
Dates
Raisins
Camels
Cows
Sheep

As you will see many times various companions of the Aimmah ) ( wanted to pay al-Zakh on other
than these nine things, but our Aimmah ) ( vehemently said that the Messenger of Allh (
) has forgiven what is apart from that () . This means that al-Zakh is only obligatory on these
nine things and nothing else. We cannot do Qiys (analogous reasoning) and make al-Zakh obligatory upon
paper currency or upon anything else.
In this document I will bring only the adth that are considered authentic by our scholars. Before I begin, I
will need to define the different categories of the grading of adth.
a (Authentic) = Chain is connected, all the narrators are trustworthy and all of the narrators in
the chain is of the Ithn `Ashar (12er Sh`ah) madhhab.
Muwaththaq (Reliable) = Chain is connected, all the narrators are trustworthy, but one or more of
the narrators in the chain is of another madhhab other than a 12er Sh`ah (i.e. Waqifiyyah, Fathiyyah,
Nawusiyyah, etc).

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From Jaml said, I heard Ab `Abd Allh ) ( say about the amount for al-zakh. So he ) ( said: It is
established on nine things, the Messenger of Allh ) ( has forgiven what is apart from that. AlTayyr1 said: We have a grain, it is called rice So Ab `Abd Allh ) ( said to him, We have many grains also.
So he (al-Tayyr) said to him )( : And (is there zakat) upon it? He ) ( said: Did I not tell you, the
Messenger of Allh ) ( has forgiven what is apart from that? From it is Gold and Silver. Three
from the animals, Camels, Sheep and Cows, and from the vegetation of the earth are Wheat, Barley, Raisins and Dates2

Most likely al-Tayyr here refers to Muhammad bin al-Tayyr, a thiqah (trustworthy) companion. This can be seen in another
adth that will come where he is the primary narrator to the Imm.
2
nd
Al-Sadq, al-Khil, 2vols., (Qum: Mu`assasah al-Nashr al-Islm, 2 ed., 1403), ch. 9, pg. 421, adth # 19. This adth is a
(Authentic), the chain is connected and all the narrators are thiqt (pl. of thiqah) and of the Immiyyah madhhab.

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From `Abd Allh bin Sinn said, Ab `Abd Allh said: When the verse of al-Zakh was revealed Take from their wealth
a charity, so you would purify and cleanse them with it (9:103). It was revealed in the Month of Raman, and the
Messenger of Allh ) ( commanded a caller to call to the people that Allh has made zakat far
(obligatory) upon, just like he has made salat obligatory upon them, so Allh )
( has obligatory upon them from

the Gold and Silver, and has made obligatory charity from the camels, cows, sheep, and from wheat, barley, dates and
raisins. And he called for them in that in the Month of Ramam and has forgiven them what is apart from that3

From `Al bin Mahziyr said, I recited the book of `Abd Allh bin Muhammad to Ab al-Hasan )( : May I be in
your ransom, it is narrated from Ab `Abd Allh ) ( that he said, the Messenger of Allh has established alzakat upon nine things, upon wheat, barley, dates, raisins, gold, silver, sheep, cows, and camels, and the Messenger of
Allh ) ( has forgiven what is apart from that. So he said that a speaker said, We have many
multiple things of that So he ) ( said: What is it? So he said: Rice. So Ab `Abd Allh ) ( said to
him, I told you that the Messenger of Allh has established charity upon nine things and has forgive what is part from
that, and you say with us is rice. And with us is corn, and corn was at the time of the Messenger of Allh (
) also, and zakat is upon everything that can be dry measured (?)4

Al-Kulayn, Al-Kf, ed. `Al Akbar al-Ghaffr, 8 vols., )Tehran: Dr al-Kutub al-Islmiyyah, 3rd Edition, 1388 AH), vol. 3, pg. 497,
hadeeth # 2.
Al-Majlis said this adth is a. (See: al-Majlis, Mirt al-`Uql, 26 vols., )Tehran: Dr al-Kutub al-Islmiyyah, 1410 AH),
vol. 16, pg. 6). Al-Bahbd said this adth is a (See: al-Bahbd, a al-Kf, vol. 2, pg. 6)
4
Al-Kulayn, al-Kfop. cit., vol. 3, pg. 510, adth # 3
Al-Majlis said this adth is SaHeeH. (See: al-Majlis, Mirt al-`Uql, op. cit. , vol. 10, pg. 361).

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From Zurrah said, I asked Ab Ja`far ) ( charity of the wealth, so he ) ( said: It is upon nine things
and it is not in anything other than that. It is on Gold, Silver, Wheat, Barley, Dates, Raisins, Camels, Cows and Sheep alsaaimah and it is the shepherd. And there is nothing in anything of the animals other than these three types, and
everything that is from these three types then there is nothing in it until a year passes from the day it was brought forth5

From Ab Baeer and al-Hasan bin Shihb from Ab `Abd Allh ) ( said, the Messenger of Allh established
zakat upon nine things and has forgiven what is apart from that, it is upon Gold, Silver, Wheat, Barley, Dates, Raisins,
Camels, Cows, and Sheep6

From `Abd Allh bin `Al al-Halab from Ab `Abd Allh ) ( said, he asked about zakat. He ) ( said:
al-Zakh is upon nine things, Gold, Silver, Wheat, Barley, Dates, Raisins, Camels, Cows, and Sheep, and the Messenger
of Allh ) ( has forgiven what is apart from that7

Al-Ts, Tahdhb al-Akm, 10 vols., )Tehran: Dr al-Kutub al-Islmiyyah, 4th Edition, 1407 AH), vol. 4, ch. 1, pg. 2, hadeeth # 2.
Al-Majlis said this adth is Muwaththaq (Reliable). (See: al-Majlis, Mildh al-Akhyr, 16 vols., (Qum: Maktabah Ayatollah
al-Mar`ash al-Najaf, 1406 AH(, vol. 7, pg. 7)
6
Al-Ts, Tahdhb al-Akm, op. cit., vol. 4, ch. 1, pg. 3, hadeeth # 3
Al-Majlis said this adth is Muwaththaq (Reliable). (See: al-Majlis, Mildh al-Akhyr, op, cit., vol. 6, pg. 7)
7
Al-Ts, Tahdhb al-Akm, op. cit., vol. 4, ch. 1, pg. 3, hadeeth # 4
Al-Majlis said this adth is Muwaththaq (Reliable). (See: al-Majlis, Mildh al-Akhyr, op, cit., vol. 6, pg. 8)

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From Muhammad bin al-Tayyr said, I asked Ab `Abd Allh, From what is obligatory in zakat? So he ) ( said:
It is upon nine things, Gold, Silver, Wheat, Barley, Dates, Raisins, Camels, Cows, and Sheep, and the Messenger of Allh
) ( has forgiven what is apart from that.8

Al-Ts, Tahdhb al-Akm, op. cit., vol. 4, ch. 1, pg. 4, hadeeth # 9

Al-Majlis said this adth is Muwaththaq (Reliable). (See: al-Majlis, Mildh al-Akhyr, op, cit., vol. 6, pg. 10)

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