Causes, Pillars, and Conditions Making Zakat Obligatory
The Hanafi school holds that the cause of zakat is the possession of wealth that has reached the nishab and is productive, even if that productive capacity is only estimated.
On condition that ownership of that wealth has lasted one year, namely a lunar year, and its owner has no debt related to the rights of other people. Another condition is that the wealth exceeds one's basic needs.
It should be noted that cause and condition are what something's existence depends on. However, the obligation is attached to the cause, unlike the condition.
Thus, whoever's wealth does not reach the nishab is not obligated to pay zakat. There is no zakat on endowment (waqf) property because waqf property is not owned by anyone.
Likewise, zakat is not obligatory on wealth held by an enemy, because although that wealth is owned, it is in the hands of the enemy.
The pillar of zakat is giving out a portion of the nishab (wealth), by relinquishing ownership of it, making it the property of the poor, and handing it over to them.
Or the wealth is handed over to their representative, namely the imam or the person tasked with collecting zakat. That is the pillar of zakat that we should understand
According to the consensus of scholars, the condition for zakat being obligatory is that zakat is not obligatory upon a slave, because a slave has no right of ownership. It is the master who owns whatever is in the hands of his slave.
According to ijma', zakat is not obligatory upon a disbeliever, because zakat is a pure ritual act of worship (ibadah mahdah), whereas disbelievers are not pure people.
Zakat is not obligatory to be taken from the wealth of a child or an insane person, because neither of them falls under the ruling of those obligated to perform acts of worship.
Wealth that meets the criteria for being obligated to zakat is of five kinds, namely:
- Money, gold, silver, whether in the form of coins or paper money
- Minerals and found treasure
- Trade goods
- Crops and fruits
- Livestock
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