Assahafa.com
Morocco’s Supreme Council of Ulema has issued a new fatwa detailing how zakat, the Islamic duty of charitable giving, should be calculated and distributed in Morocco.
Released on Friday, the fatwa sets out specific guidelines for individuals, farmers, business owners, and professionals to ensure proper implementation of one of Islam’s five pillars. King Mohammed VI approved earlier this week the publishing of the fatwa.
The council explained that zakat is mandatory for all Muslims who possess wealth that meets the nisab, the minimum amount required for zakat to become due, and hold it for a full lunar year.
The ruling lists eight categories of wealth subject to zakat, including money, gold and silver, agricultural crops, livestock, trade goods, industrial products, income from services, real estate intended for trade, and debts that can be recovered.
The fatwa fixes the nisab for money at the value of 85 grams of gold, which equals about MAD 68,000, and for silver at 595 grams, or around MAD 7,438. Those whose savings or assets reach these amounts must pay zakat at a rate of 2.5%.
For agriculture, the rate is 10% on crops irrigated naturally by rain and 5% on those watered by artificial means. The zakat becomes due when the harvest reaches the equivalent of 653 kilograms of grain, the council says.
The new fatwa also detailed livestock scales. For example, zakat on sheep begins at 40 head, requiring the payment of one sheep, and increases progressively with herd size. For cattle, zakat starts at 30 cows, with one calf due as charity. The minimum is five for camels, requiring one sheep as zakat.
The fatwa also extends zakat obligations to modern economic activities, including industry, trade, and services. Factories, stores, and professionals such as doctors, engineers, and lawyers must calculate zakat on profits after one year if their income reaches the nisab.
In addition, the ruling clarifies zakat on debts. If the lender is confident of repayment, zakat must be paid annually on the owed amount. If not, it is paid once upon recovery.
As for zakat distribution, the council recalled the eight groups entitled to receive zakat, as stated in the Quran. This includes the poor, the needy, administrators of zakat, new converts to Islam, those in debt, captives seeking freedom, those striving in the cause of God, and travelers in difficulty.
The fatwa concludes by reminding Muslims that zakat is not merely a financial duty but a means of purifying wealth, promoting solidarity, and fighting poverty. It notes that neglecting zakat weakens social justice and contradicts the spirit of Islam.
Source: map
