سوال

Assalam o Alaikum! I borrowed 45 lacs from parents in December 2017 and bought a residential plot to construct my house. I have been repaying 50,000/month since then Alhamdolillah (Intention: I will be paying the amount to them or on behalf of them to any charity until I am alive and earning inshaAllah).

Now, in February 2022 my mother sold a house on her name and gifted a certain portion of the amount to me and to my two married sisters. From this amount I bought another plot at a price of 75 lacs. I am living in a rented house and I don’t have money to construct house in any of the plot, so I have decided to sell the old one and construct a house. Market value of this would be 90-95 lacs.

My question: I am selling the old plot so want to ask if Zakat applicable on it, considering that the intention was never an investment. And I cannot build house on old one as it lacks some basic infrastructure and not livable until 1-2 more years.

اَلجَوَابْ بِاسْمِ مُلْہِمِ الصَّوَابْ

The answer to the first question is that if you did not buy the said plot with the intention of selling it, then now there is no zakat on this plot.

البحر الرائق شرح كنز الدقائق ومنحة الخالق وتكملة الطوري (2/ 225)

ولو اشترى عروضا للبذلةوالمهنة ثم نوى أن تكون للتجارة بعد ذلك لا تصير للتجارة ما لم يبعها فيكون بدلها للتجارة؛ لأن التجارة عمل فلا تتم بمجرد النية بخلاف ما إذا كان للتجارة فنوى أن تكون للبذلة خرج عن التجارة بالنية، وإن لم يستعمله؛ لأنها ترك العمل فتتم بها.