Should I Pay Zakat on Animals I Own?

Answered by Ustadh Tabraze Azam

Question: Assalam alaykum

I have started a business of dry animals. I purchased animals (cows and calfs) and intend to sell them when they fatten. Is Zakah due on them?

Answer: Assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullah,

Yes, if the animals are purchased for resale, they would be deemed zakatable. Hence, you would add their market value to your other assets in your zakat calculations.

This is on condition that you purchased them with the clear and sole intention of resale. If your intention was conditioned, namely, “if they fatten” or “if I get a good price,” zakat would not be due on them.

[Maydani, al-Lubab fi Sharh al-Kitab]

Please also see: Zakat: How to Calculate & Whom to Give and: Is Your Zakat Due? – A Reader and Resources on Giving Zakat

And Allah Most High alone knows best.

wassalam,
[Ustadh] Tabraze Azam

Checked and Approved by Shaykh Faraz Rabbani

Ustadh Tabraze Azam holds a BSc in Computer Science from the University of Leicester, where he also served as the President of the Islamic Society. He memorised the entire Qur’an in his hometown of Ipswich at the tender age of sixteen, and has since studied the Islamic Sciences in traditional settings in the UK, Jordan and Turkey. He is currently pursuing advanced studies in Jordan, where he is presently based with his family.