Understanding Zakat Rikaz (Buried Treasure)

An explanation of zakat rikaz, namely gold and silver wealth left over from the pre-Islamic era (jahiliyyah) that is found buried in the ground, with a zakat rate of one-fifth and no haul condition.

• Rikaz is gold and silver wealth left over from the pre-Islamic era buried in land owned by someone, with a zakat rate of one-fifth or 20 percent.
• Zakat rikaz differs from zakat on other wealth because it is not conditioned upon reaching one year of ownership or a haul, but it must still reach a nishab equal to the nishab of gold and silver.
• If the buried wealth turns out to be a relic belonging to Muslims, not a remnant of the pre-Islamic era, then that wealth must be handed over to the baitulmal, not zakated as rikaz.
• In general, wealth subject to zakat must be owned fully and lawfully, not derived from unlawful means such as theft, fraud, or riba.
• Ownership of wealth that still carries a debt which reduces it below the nishab is not obligated for zakat, because paying off debt takes precedence over fulfilling the right of zakat.

Rikaz is wealth buried in the ground from the era of Jahiliyyah in the form of gold and silver. The zakat on rikaz is 20%, on condition that it reaches the nishab, namely equal to the nishab of gold and silver, and there is no Haul condition

From Abu Hurairah ra: indeed the Prophet saw said: "The zakat on rikaz is one-fifth" (HR Bukhari Muslim)

Conditions of Zakat Rikaz

1. The wealth is buried in land that is one's own property
2. The buried item must be a Jahiliyyah-era relic with certain characteristics; if the buried wealth is a Muslim relic, then it must be handed over to the Baitulmal

Note (ta'liq):

There are several matters that need to be understood about wealth subject to zakat rikaz, namely:

1. Full ownership. This means a person's control over wealth such that they can use it exclusively. Because Allah swt. made zakat obligatory once that wealth has been attributed to its owner.

As for public ownership, state assets, charitable waqf, and wealth with no owner, no zakat is taken from them

Zakat is not obligatory on unlawful wealth, that is, wealth obtained by people through unlawful means, such as ghasab (arbitrary seizure), theft, forgery, bribery, riba, wealth obtained from hoarding to manipulate prices, and fraud.

These methods do not make a person the owner of the wealth. They must return it to its rightful owner.

2. Growth. This means that wealth subject to zakat must be wealth that is actively growing, or ready to grow, that is, wealth that normally brings benefit to its owner. Some scholars hold that a residential house and its furnishings as well as a vehicle are not subject to zakat. Because that wealth is prepared for personal use, not for growth.

3. Reaching the nishab, that is, the minimum threshold beyond which zakat must be paid on wealth; if it is less than that, zakat is not obligatory.

If someone owns fewer than five camels or fewer than forty goats, or less than twenty gold dinars or two hundred silver dirhams, then zakat is not obligatory on them.

The condition of reaching the nishab is a condition agreed upon by the majority of scholars. Its wisdom is that someone who owns less than the nishab is not considered wealthy,

4. The owner of more than the nishab has no debt that reduces or eliminates that nishab. Because paying debt takes precedence in time over the right of the poor, and also because the ownership of someone in debt is weak and diminished.

A person in debt is a person permitted to receive zakat, being included among the gharimin (debtors), and zakat is only obligatory upon the wealthy.

5. A full year has passed. Wealth that has reached one nishab in the possession of its owner has passed a full lunar year. This condition is agreed upon for wealth such as livestock, money, and trade goods.

As for agriculture, fruits, minerals, and archaeological finds, this one-year condition does not apply. Zakat on this wealth must be paid out as soon as it is obtained.

The evidence for the one-year period for livestock, money, and trade is the practice of the four rightly-guided caliphs (khulafaur rasyidin), as well as based on the hadith of Ibnu Umar from the Prophet saw.,

The words of the Messenger of Allah saw: "Zakat is not obligatory on wealth until a full year has passed over it." (At-Tirmidzi)

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