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Is zakat obligatory on a car displayed for sale with the intention of trade that has remained for three years, and how is it calculated and paid?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

If a person buys a car with the intention of trading, he must pay zakat on it every time a year passes, by appraising it at its market price on that day and paying a quarter of a tenth (2.5%) of its value, whether the value increases or decreases.

Sheikh Ibn Uthaymeen was asked about land intended for trade, and he said: "If a person buys land for trade, he must pay zakat on it every year, whether its value increases or decreases, and whether it sells quickly or becomes stagnant. He should appraise it every year according to its current value. If he has money, he should pay its zakat from the money he possesses. If he does not have money, he should record the zakat for each year as it passes, and when he sells it, he should pay the zakat for the past years."

Therefore, the owner of the car should estimate its price at the end of each year, seeking assistance from experts, and then pay the zakat. If he does not have money, he should record it and pay it when he sells the car. The trade year begins from the time one acquires the money with which the car was purchased, not from the time of its purchase.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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