Zakat on buried money, and building a mosque courtyard before paying zakat

Question

An old woman in former times buried four thousand rupees and told her sons: “Dig it up after me.” Now, after the old woman’s death, the brothers dug up this buried money; the coins came to twelve thousand. One of the brothers took his share, and the remaining three gave their shares to the mosque, with which a courtyard (sahn) was built. Was zakat wajib on this buried money or not? And is prayer on this courtyard valid or not?

Answer

Zakat was wajib on the old woman herself. After her death her sons became the owners; upon the passing of a full year from that time, it will become wajib on them in accordance with the rule of the Shari‘a. Prayer on the floor of this courtyard is valid. Since it was given to the mosque before the year passed, zakat is not wajib.

Source: Fatawa Mahmudiyya

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