The divine rulings regarding Zakat on agricultural produce, alongside a detailed examination of differing scholarly opinions and the legal authenticity of related Hadiths, present a clear and precise framework in Islamic jurisprudence. Certain misconceptions exist among Islamic scholars regarding agricultural Zakat. In particular, some advance the flawed argument that major produce like paddy or rice is exempt from Zakat, relying on weak traditions claiming that perishable items carry no Zakat or that the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) restricted Zakat to only four specific grains. However, a neutral evaluation of the criteria defined by sacred law, the verses of the Holy Quran, and authentic Hadiths brings the true position into sharp clarity.
In Islamic law, the obligation of Zakat on agriculture is tied to reaching a minimum threshold (Nisab) of five Wasaq (أَوْسُق). One Wasaq consists of 60 Sa’ (صَاع). Therefore, five Wasaq equals 300 Sa’. Based on the Sa’ measuring unit used during the time of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him)—as verified through modern archaeological research and preserved through unbroken chains of teacher-to-student transmission (Sanad)—one Sa’ equals approximately 2.5 kilograms. Calculated on this basis, 300 Sa’ amounts to 750 kilograms (three-quarters of a ton). Consequently, agricultural Zakat becomes obligatory only if the harvest from a single yield reaches at least 750 kilograms. Small-scale farmers whose yields fall below this boundary, such as 500 or 600 kilograms, are exempt from agricultural Zakat. This 750-kilogram threshold applies universally to all agricultural produce, including dates, raisins, rice, wheat, and vegetables.
This threshold is explicitly confirmed by authentic Hadiths recorded in Sahih al-Bukhari under numbers 1405, 1447, 1459, and 1484, where the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) stated:
لَيْسَ فِيمَا دُونَ خَمْسَةِ أَوْسُقٍ صَدَقَةٌ
“There is no Zakat (Sadaqah) on anything that is less than five Wasaq.”
Furthermore, Allah Almighty states in Chapter 6, Verse 141 of the Holy Quran:
وَهُوَ الَّذِي أَنْشَأَ جَنَّاتٍ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَغَيْرَ مَعْرُوشَاتٍ وَالنَّخْلَ وَالزَّرْعَ مُخْتَلِفًا أُكُلُهُ وَالزَّيْتُونَ وَالرُّمَّانَ مُتَشَابِهًا وَغَيْرَ مُتَشَابِهٍ كُلُوا مِنْ ثَمَرِهِ إِذَا أَثْمَرَ وَآتُوا حَقَّهُ يَوْمَ حَصَادِهِ وَلَا تُسْرِفُوا إِنَّهُ لَا يُحِبُّ الْمُسْرِفِينَ
“And He it is who causes gardens to grow, trellised and untrellised, and palm trees and crops of different tastes, and olives and pomegranates, similar and dissimilar. Eat of their fruit when they yield, and give its due (Zakat) on the day of its harvest, and waste not by excess; indeed, He likes not those who commit excess.”
This Quranic verse clearly establishes that Zakat is due on all fruits and produce grown from the earth, including trellised trailing vegetables, trees, and grains. Claiming that vegetables or pomegranates are exempt from Zakat based on certain isolated reports directly contradicts the general and overarching command of the Quran.
Regarding the applicable rate of Zakat, sacred law divides agricultural output into two categories based on labor and irrigation expenditure. Crops grown naturally through rainfall, river streams, or natural springs—without requiring extra human labor or financial expense—are subject to a 10 percent (one-tenth) Zakat rate. Conversely, crops irrigated through human effort and expense, such as digging wells, installing borewells, operating pumpsets, or using machinery and animals, incur a 5 percent (one-twentieth, or half of one-tenth) Zakat rate. For example, if a farmer yields 750 kilograms of produce through self-funded artificial irrigation, exactly 37.5 kilograms must be disbursed as Zakat on the day of harvest.
Regarding what specific items require Zakat, a narration appears in Sunan al-Bayhaqi, al-Mu’jam al-Kabir of al-Tabarani, al-Mustadrak of al-Hakim, and Sunan al-Daraqutni, alleging that when the Prophet (peace be upon him) dispatched Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him), he instructed him not to collect Zakat except from four items: unhusked barley (الشَّعِير), wheat (الْحِنْطَة), raisins (الزَّبِيب), and dates (التَّمْر). However, because this tradition contradicts the explicit general rulings of the Quran, it cannot be accepted as valid evidence, rendering an analysis of its chain of transmission (Sanad) unnecessary since it conflicts directly with the Quranic text. Once the Quran establishes that Zakat applies universally to earth’s yields, no conflicting report can override it.
Historically, four primary scholarly viewpoints have emerged regarding agricultural Zakat:
The first view, held by the Hanafi school and a section of the Hanbali school, maintains that Zakat is unconditionally obligatory upon everything harvested from the earth, whether large or small, including grains, green vegetables, herbs, and flowers. They rely on the general directive of Quran 6:141.
The second view, held by the Shafi’i and Maliki schools, asserts three prerequisites for agricultural Zakat:
* The item must be measurable by volumetric capacity (Sa’ or Wasaq).
* It must serve as a staple food for human consumption.
* It must be storable and capable of being dried without spoiling quickly.
Based on these criteria, they apply Zakat to paddy, wheat, dates, and raisins, but exempt items like apples, pomegranates, guavas, and coconuts, which cannot be dried or are sold by count.
The third view holds that being a staple food is not a strict requirement; rather, Zakat applies to all grains and spices (such as cumin and fennel) that can be dried and stored long-term.
The fourth view, held by another section of the Hanbali school, restricts agricultural Zakat exclusively to four items—unhusked barley, wheat, raisins, and dates—arguing that no other agricultural produce carries Zakat.
Proponents of this fourth view cite the narration of Mu’adh ibn Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) recorded in Sunan al-Kubra (al-Bayhaqi), al-Tabarani, al-Hakim, and al-Daraqutni, stating that the Prophet (peace be upon him) instructed him not to collect Zakat on anything besides those four items. However, this report is unauthentic due to direct contradiction with Quran 6:141 and significant flaws in its chain of narrators.
A thorough examination of Hadiths claiming that “there is no Zakat on green vegetables” (لَيْسَ فِي الخَضْرَاوَاتِ صَدَقَةٌ) reveals that all such narrations are weak and unacceptable as legal proofs:
In Sunan at-Tirmidhi (Hadith 638):
عَلِيُّ بْنُ حَشْرَمٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ يُونُسَ، عَنِ الْحَسَنِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ، عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ مُعَاذٍ، أَنَّهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الْخَضْرَاوَاتِ وَهِيَ الْبُقُولُ؟ فَقَالَ: لَيْسَ فِيهَا شَيْءٌ
Imam at-Tirmidhi explicitly noted that the chain of this Hadith is not authentic, containing Al-Hasan ibn ‘Umarah (الحَسَنُ بْنُ عُمَارَةَ), a narrator known to lie and discarded as weak. Imam at-Tirmidhi affirmed that no authentic Hadith from the Prophet (peace be upon him) exists on this topic.
In Sunan al-Daraqutni, multiple chains containing weak or untrustworthy narrators are recorded:
* The narration via Ali and Ibn Abbas (may Allah be pleased with them) contains two weak narrators: Saqr ibn Habib (الصَّقْرُ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ) and Ahmad ibn al-Harith al-Basri (أَحْمَدُ بْنُ الْحَارِثِ الْبَصْرِيُّ).
* The narration via Abdullah ibn Jahsh contains Abdul Jabbar ibn Sa’id (عَبْدُ الْجَبَّارِ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ), who is weak, and Abdullah ibn Shabib (عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ شَبِيبٍ), who was accused of fabrication.
* The narration via Musa ibn Talha contains Harith ibn Nabhan (الْحَارِثُ بْنُ نَبْهَانَ) and Abdur Rahman ibn Amr (عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو), both of whom are weak.
* Another chain via Talha includes Muhammad ibn Jabir (مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَابِرٍ) and Muhammad ibn Mu’awiyah (مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُعَاوِيَةَ), both recognized as weak narrators.
* The chain via Anas ibn Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) contains Marwan ibn Muhammad al-Sinjari (مَرْوَانُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ السِّنْجَارِيُّ), who was suspected of fabricating Hadiths, and Nasr ibn Abdul Malik (نَصْرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ), who is unknown (Majhul).
* The chain via Mu’adh contains Al-Hasan ibn ‘Umarah, a known liar, alongside Al-Bahlul (الْبَهْلُولُ), an unknown narrator.
Similarly, the report in Sunan al-Saghir and Sunan al-Kubra of al-Bayhaqi limiting Zakat to four items is weak:
In Sunan al-Saghir (Hadith 1186):
أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَبْدِ اللهِ الْحَافِظُ، أَخْبَرَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الْقَاضِي، ثَنَا عُمَيْرُ بْنُ مِرْدَاسٍ، ثَنَا عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ نَافِعٍ الصَّائِغُ، ثَنَا إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ عُبَيْدِ اللهِ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ مُوسَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ، عَنْ مُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ قَالَ: فِيمَا سَقَتِ السَّمَاءُ وَالْبَعْلُ وَالسَّيْلُ الْعُشْرُ، وَفِيمَا سُقِيَ بِالنَّضْحِ نِصْفُ الْعُشْرِ، وَإِنَّمَا يَكُونُ ذَلِكَ فِي التَّمْرِ وَالْحِنْطَةِ وَالْحُبُوبِ، وَأَمَّا الْقِثَّاءُ، وَالْبِطِّيخُ، وَالرُّمَّانُ، وَالْقَضْبُ، قَدْ عَفَا عَنْهُ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ
This chain contains Ishaq ibn Yahya ibn Talha (إِسْحَاقُ بْنُ يَحْيَى بْنِ طَلْحَةَ). In Lisan al-Mizan (entry 4621) regarding Abdur Rahman ibn al-Hasan ibn ‘Ubaid al-Asadi, Hafiz Salih ibn Ahmad al-Hamadhani noted that he falsely claimed narrations from Ibrahim ibn Dizil, ruining his credibility. Al-Qasim ibn Abi Salih flatly declared that he lies, and Imam al-Daraqutni noted severe confusion and errors in his writings.
Furthermore, in Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, Ishaq ibn Yahya ibn Talha is overwhelmingly criticized by Hadith masters:
* Ali ibn al-Madini cited Yahya ibn Sa’id stating he was “like nothing” (extremely weak), adding that they narrate nothing from him.
* Ahmad ibn Hanbal evaluated him as Munkar al-Hadith (a narrator of rejected Hadiths) and Matruk (discarded).
* Yahya ibn Ma’in classed him as weak, stating his narrations should not even be recorded.
* Imam al-Bukhari, Imam at-Tirmidhi, and Imam al-Nasa’i noted his severe memory defects, with al-Nasa’i declaring him untrustworthy and discarded.
* Abu Zur’ah called him Wahi al-Hadith (feeble in Hadith), Abu Hatim called him weak, and Ibn Hibban stated in Al-Du’afa that he suffered from poor memory, poor comprehension, and routinely erred without realizing it.
In Sunan al-Kubra (Hadith 7451):
أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدَانَ، أَنْبَأَ أَبُو الْقَاسِمِ سُلَيْمَانُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ اللَّخْمِيُّ ثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ، ثَنَا أَبُو حُذَيْفَةَ (موسى بن مسعود النهدي)، ثَنَا سُفْيَانُ، عَنْ طَلْحَةَ بْنِ يَحْيَى، عَنْ أَبِي بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، وَمُعَاذِ بْنِ جَبَلٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بَعَثَهُمَا إِلَى الْيَمَنِ فَأَمَرَهُمَا أَنْ يُعَلِّمَا النَّاسَ أَمْرَ دِينِهِمْ وَقَالَ: لَا تَأْخُذَا فِي الصَّدَقَةِ إِلَّا مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأَصْنَافِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ الشَّعِيرِ وَالْحِنْطَةِ وَالْحُبُوبِ وَالتَّمْرِ
This narration relies on Abu Hudhayfah Musa ibn Mas’ud al-Nahdi (أَبُو حُذَيْفَةَ مُوسَى بْنُ مَسْعُودٍ). In Tahdhib al-Tahdhib, scholars evaluated him as follows:
* Ahmad ibn Hanbal remarked that he was “like nothing” compared to established narrators.
* Bundar noted he was weak in Hadith and eventually abandoned writing from him.
* Imam at-Tirmidhi noted he is weakened in Hadith, Ibn Khuzaymah stated his narrations cannot be used as proof, Abu Ahmad al-Hakim stated he is not strong, and Al-Hakim Abu Abdillah noted he suffered from frequent delusion (Wahm) and bad memory.
Because all narrations claiming exemption for green vegetables or restricting Zakat to four items are flawed, they cannot serve as binding legal evidence.
Combining the Holy Quran and authentic Hadiths reveals two foundational requirements for agricultural Zakat:
* The produce must be an edible food source for humans, derived from the Quranic command “Eat of their fruit” (Quran 6:141).
* The produce must be measurable by volumetric capacity, derived from the Hadith threshold of five Wasaq.
Crops that satisfy both criteria—being edible human food and measurable by volumetric scale—are subject to agricultural Zakat (Ushr at 10% or 5%). This includes paddy, wheat, pulses, grains, millet, sorghum, maize, dates, raisins, almonds, cashews, and pistachios.
Conversely, yields that are either non-edible or not measured by volumetric capacity—such as cotton, silk cotton, teak wood, red sandalwood, sugarcane, black pepper, or fruits sold by count like jackfruit and coconuts—do not incur agricultural Zakat (10% or 5%). However, because these items represent commercial commodities and business wealth, they fall under the general category of trade assets. Consequently, their total market value must be assessed, and standard commercial Zakat must be paid at the rate of 2.5 percent (one-fortieth). In Islamic jurisprudence, no form of wealth escapes Zakat; assets that fall outside the agricultural framework are automatically integrated into commercial wealth subject to the standard 2.5 percent rate.