Zakat Ruling on Income from Rental Assets
📚 Source: Fatawa ʿIlmiyyah (Tawdih al-Ahkam), Vol. 2, p. 166
Question
Zaid owns one or more vehicles which he rents out to earn income. Is Zakat obligatory on these vehicles?
Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!
According to the question, Zaid’s vehicles are not intended for trade but are used for earning income. Based on this, Zakat is not obligatory on the vehicles themselves.
In the Light of the Prophetic Hadith
In a Hasan narration from Sunan Abi Dawud (Hadith 1575), it is stated:
«فی کل سائمة ابل فی اربعین بنت لبون»
Meaning: For every forty grazing camels, one “Bint Labun” is due as Zakat.
Deriving the Ruling
From this Hadith, scholars have concluded:
❖ Imam al-Darimi (Kitab al-Zakah, Bab 36, Hadith 1684)
❖ Imam Ibn Khuzaymah (4/18, Hadith 2266)
— have deduced that “ʿAwāmil al-Ibil” (working camels used for earning income) are not subject to Zakat.
Scholarly Opinion
❖ Maulana ʿAbdul Rahman Kilani also inclined to this view — that if an animal or asset is used for earning (not for buying and selling), then Zakat is not obligatory on the asset itself.
ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب
