Are printing materials subject to zakaah?

Dear Brothers & Sisters,
As-Salaamu-Alaikum wa Rahmatullahi wa Barakatuh. (May Allah's Peace, Mercy and Blessings be upon all of you)
One of our brothers/sisters has asked this question:
There is a man who owns a printing press. Is zakaah due on the materials and equipment in the printing press and on what he produces, or is zakaah due only on the products?.
(There may be some grammatical and spelling errors in the above statement. The forum does not change anything from questions, comments and statements received from our readers for circulation in confidentiality.)
Check below answers in case you are looking for other related questions:

Answer:
Praise be to Allaah.

Firstly: 

In the answer to question no. 74987we have stated that manufacturing equipment, materials and tools which are intended for use and not for sale are not subject to zakaah. Rather zakaah is due on the profits that result from using these tools and equipment, if it reaches the nisaab and one full hijri year has passed. 

Based on that, these materials in the printing press are not subject to zakaah. 

Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him) was asked a similar question and he replied: 

Zakaah must be paid by the owners of printing presses and factories etc on the things that are prepared for sale; as for the things that are prepared for use, no zakaah is due on them. The same applies to cars, furniture and vessels that are prepared for use; no zakaah is due on them, because of the report narrated by Abu Dawood (may Allaah have mercy on him) with a hasan isnaad from Samurah ibn Jundub (may Allaah have mercy on him) who said: The Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) used to command us to pay zakaah on that which we had prepared for sale. End quote.

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn Baaz, 14/186-187 

Shaykh Ibn ‘Uthaymeen was asked about a man who had a laundry, and some people said to him: You have to pay zakaah on the equipment that you have. Is this correct? 

He replied: Zakaah is to be paid on trade gods, which are things that a person buys and sells, and whenever he thinks he can earn something he sells it and whenever he thinks he will not earn anything he does not sell it. Laundry materials are not regarded as trade gods, because the owner of the laundry wants to keep them with him, so they come under the same heading as what a man keeps in his house such as furniture, vessels and so on. So zakaah is not due on them. Whoever told him that zakaah is due on them is mistaken. 

Majmoo’ Fataawa Ibn ‘Uthaymeen, 18/207 

Secondly: 

Zakaah is due on the profits of this printing press if they reach the nisaab and one full hijri year passes; one quarter of one tenth must be paid, i.e., 2.5 %. 

Thirdly: 

There are some of the goods owned by the printing press that are regarded as trade goods; this includes everything that the printing press buys with the aim of re-selling it after making some changes to it, such as paper, ink, materials used for binding books, and books owned by the printing press which they print in order to sell, etc. 

All of these things are regarded as trade goods, so their value should be calculated at the end of every year, and zakaah paid at a rate of 2.5 per cent. 

See Majallat al-Majma’ al-Fiqhi, 4/1/735, article by Dr. Wahbah al-Zuhayli.

Whatever written of Truth and benefit is only due to Allah's Assistance and Guidance, and whatever of error is of me. Allah Alone Knows Best and He is the Only Source of Strength.

Related Answers:

Recommended answers for you: