Islamic scholars explained the specifics of calculating zakat in Chechnya and Dagestan.

The Chechen Muftiate, in particular, uses the value of silver to assess the amount of property required for zakat payment during Ramadan, eliminating the risk of believers becoming indebted to the Almighty. In Dagestan, wealth is assessed based on the value of gold, with separate accounting for grain and livestock.

As reported by the "Caucasian Knot," on March 2, the Chechen Muftiate updated the amount of nisab (the minimum property or wealth on which a Muslim is required to pay alms (zakat) during Ramadan). Social media users discussed which income is included in the nisab.

Law Doctor, Islamic Studies Professor Leonid Syukiyaynen, zakat legal expert at the Islamic Institute of Moscow Ilgiz Kurbanov, and Dagestani lawyer Ziyavutdin Uvaisov explained the details of calculating the nisab (property value assessment) and zakat (property tax intended for almsgiving) to the "Caucasian Knot."

Zakat is paid not on the entire accumulated wealth, but on that which exceeds a Muslim's normal, daily needs. Therefore, people who live paycheck to paycheck and do not have savings exceeding nisab do not pay zakat, explained Leonid Syukiyaynen.

"For example, there's a bank account where you have some funds that you don't regularly use; they're kept there for safekeeping. If they exceed the threshold, 2.5% is paid on them. However, if you need to meet your daily needs, zakat is not paid on that," he told a "Caucasian Knot" correspondent.

When assessing whether a car is included in the nisab, the purpose for which it was used and acquired is taken into account. "If you have one car that you need for commuting to work, or because of your life situation, or because of your family situation—say, you have elderly parents, you need to transport a child, and so on—then it's not subject to zakat. Also, a car is not subject to zakat if you personally use it for work, for example, as a taxi driver or to transport goods. However, if you own a fleet of collectible cars and their value exceeds the nisab level, then you must pay. Everything is decided on a case-by-case basis," said Syukiyainen.

The same approach applies to any other expensive items owned. "Let's say I have a Stainway grand piano in my home, but I don't play it, I'm obligated to pay 2.5% of its value. But if this piano is in a contemporary pianist's studio, it's a necessary instrument for his profession and isn't obligated to pay zakat. Zakat is calculated in the same way on goods stored in a warehouse—not those sitting on shelves and being sold, but those stored in a warehouse. Zakat is paid on any balance that exceeds the annual nisab, but only if the person owns the property year-round. There are very helpful reference books on calculating zakat," the Islamic scholar concluded.

There are two main methods for calculating nisab: based on the value of 85 grams of gold and based on the value of 595 grams of silver, recalled Ilgiz Kurbanov. He noted that today the results of the calculations for gold and silver differ significantly.

“Currently, if nisab is calculated based on gold, the value of property that a believer has owned but not used continuously for a year exceeds 1 million rubles (based on the price of gold according to the Central Bank of the Russian Federation). And based on the price of silver, it’s 120-150 thousand rubles. The crux of the matter is that during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammad, a gram of gold was worth approximately seven and a half times more than a gram of silver. Today, a gram of gold is worth approximately 40 times more than a gram of silver, and that’s a significant difference. Some Islamic scholars insist that to avoid being indebted to Allah, one should calculate nisab based on silver. As it is written in fiqh books: nisab calculated based on gold is stable, while nisab calculated based on silver is safe, in the sense that there is no risk of being indebted to the Almighty. This is probably why nisab is calculated based on silver in Chechnya and Ingushetia. But in most regions, "Where Muslims live, the nisab is now based on gold," Kurbanov said.

He described the calculations of social media users from Chechnya, which they cited in the comments to the Muftiate's fatwa on the amount of the nisab, as correct. Kurbanov also confirmed that items of any value, if used for personal purposes or for production, are not subject to zakat.

“Luxury items are not subject to zakat if they are used. For example, expensive furniture that we use, if we bought it for personal use, even for beauty, zakat is not paid on such things. But if we bought items with the intention of reselling them, then they are subject to zakat - if we do not use them for the entire lunar year. The same applies to apartments: if they are not for resale, and you use them, then you do not need to pay zakat. If you rent out an apartment, then zakat is paid on the rent. Or if you built a factory - you are not obligated to pay zakat every year on the cost of the factory; in this case, zakat is calculated on the goods produced. But, say, shares: since they can sit idle for a year, zakat must be paid on them, even at the price that is on the market.” "The day of payment, regardless of the price at which they were purchased," explained Kurbanov.

In Dagestan, believers are guided primarily by the amount of nisab for gold, but the calculation of zakat has a number of details, depending on the type of activity, noted Ziyavutdin Uvaisov.

“There is a special procedure for calculating zakat for keeping cattle and small ruminants. There are several conditions: the animals must be fed on pastures for most of the year, rather than purchased feed, and the animals must be owned for at least one full lunar year. The purpose of keeping animals is for offspring, milk, and meat for the family, but not for sale. In this case, the nisab for small ruminants begins at 40 heads, and for large ruminants at 30 heads. For example, for 40-120 sheep - 1 ewe/goat (aged one year and older), and for 30-39 heads - one yearling calf. If you keep livestock for resale (business), and not for breeding, then zakat is calculated differently: 2.5% of the market value of the entire herd when its total value reaches the nisab of gold. But since in Dagestan, as in other regions, there is no free grazing throughout the year, then in "Basically, everyone pays zakat not in kind, but as a percentage of the value," Uvaisov told the "Caucasian Knot."

There is also a special procedure for paying zakat on agricultural produce stored for a year. "The weight of grain stored for at least a year must be 673 kg. If the harvest is from irrigated land, the zakat rate is 5%; if from rainfed (naturally wet) land, the zakat rate is 10%," the lawyer added.