Title: I am staying in rented house paying rent of 11000 per month since its forbidded in islam to purchase house on loan and I donot have enough money so that i can purchase house without taking a loan. I had purchased land(present value 9 lacs) 2 years back with the intention of selling it later for purchasing a flat for myself or build a house on that land in future or use it as my retirement savings. 1) Do i need to pay zakat on this land? 2) If answer to 1) is No, last year I kept aside zakat money for this land but not yet given it. Do i need to give that amount or keep it with me ?

Question: Assalamalekum, I am staying in rented house paying rent of 11000 per month since its forbidded in islam to purchase house on loan and I donot have enough money so that i can purchase house without taking a loan. I had purchased land(present value 9 lacs) 2 years back with the intention of selling it later for purchasing a flat for myself or build a house on that land in future or use it as my retirement savings. 1) Do i need to pay zakat on this land? 2) If answer to 1) is No, last year I kept aside zakat money for this land but not yet given it. Do i need to give that amount or keep it with me ?

Answer ID: 28820Posted on: Sep 1, 2020

Bismillah hir-Rahman nir-Rahim !

(Fatwa: 197/H=55/th=1432)

In the question mentioned above, if, at the time of buying the land, your intention was not completely for sale, rather you intended to sell it as well as to build house over it for yourself, , then zakah is not wajib on such land or its price.
ولو نوى التجارة بعد العقد او اشترى شيئا للقنيه ناويا انه ان وجد ربحا باعه لا زكوة عليه كما لو نوى التجارة فى ما خرج من ارضه (قوله و لو نوى الخ ) محترز قوله و شرط مقارنتها لعقد التجارة ح اه درمختار مع الفتاوى رد المحتار ج:2/ص:14) قبيل باب السائمة من كتاب الزكة ، مطبوعه نعمانيه)
(2) When zakah was not wajib, you had full right about the amount of zakah, whether to keep it with you for your needs or spend it in any religious matter.