Fatwa's Insights - Worship

THE 77TH MEETING OF THE PERLIS STATE FATWA COMMITTEE / 2025

1-2 DECEMBER 2025 / 10-11 JAMADIL AKHIR 1447

PAYMENT OF ZAKAT BY FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS ON BEHALF OF DEPOSITORS

The Perlis State Fatwa Committee agrees that banks may pay zakat on behalf of depositors after obtaining their consent.

With regard to the process of zakat discharge, the calculation of the lunar year (ḥawl) for the depositor commences upon the attainment of the minimum threshold (niṣāb) following the grant of consent. The lowest value that still meets the minimum threshold shall serve as the basis for calculating the rate upon which zakat is obligatory upon the completion of the ḥawl.

At the same time, the Perlis State Fatwa Committee requests that banks remind depositors that the zakat obligation is not calculated solely on money and gold kept in a single bank, but must instead be based on the total of all savings and assets held by a zakat payer.

PRESENCE AND APPROVAL BY:

1. Sahibus Samahah Professor Dato' Arif Perkasa Dr. Mohd Asri bin Zainul Abidin
2. Sahibul Fadhilah Ustaz Tajul Urus bin Abdul Halim
3. Sahibul Fadhilah Professor Dr. Muhamad Rozaimi bin Ramle
4. Sahibul Fadhilah Professor Dr. Basri bin Ibrahim
5. Sahibul Fadhilah Professor Dr. Azman bin Mohd Noor
6. Sahibul Fadhilah Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mohd Akram bin Dato' Dahaman @ Dahlan
7. Sahibul Fadhilah Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ahmad Wifaq bin Mokhtar
8. Sahibul Fadhilah Ustaz Syed Abu Bakar bin Syed Kamal Bharin
9. Sahibul Fadhilah K.H. Dr. Zaitun bin Rasmin
10. Sahibul Fadhilah Dr. Muhammad Lukman bin Mat Sin
11. Sahibul Fadhilah Ustaz Burhanudin bin Lokman
12. Al-Fadhil Ustaz Muhammad Khidhir bin Abdul Ghani – Secretary

Endorsed at the Meeting of the Council of Islamic Religion and Malay Customs of Perlis No. 6/2025 on 4 December 2025.