Fiqh review on zakah of marine resources

¹ Department of Islamic Economic, Faculty of Economic and Business, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia.
² Department of Economic Development, Faculty of Economic and Business, Universitas Syiah Kuala, Banda Aceh 23111, Indonesia.

^* Corresponding author: fikriah.mimi@gmail.com

Abstract

The obligation of zakah for Muslims is imposed on valuable assets and it reaches the nishab level. The objectives of the shari'ah of zakah are to create an even distribution of income, avoid social inequality and raise the standard of living of the poor. Every asset that is obtained by a human being in the form of findings, results of efforts, work, gifts, and others that is fully owned, by achieving the nishab, must be paid its zakah. In classical fiqh, the classification of zakah maal is still limited, so that scholars continue to develop its classification with various legal istinbath methods. Zakah on marine resources also raises interpretations among scholars so that it needs to be studied from a fiqh perspective. Marine resources, both valuable goods and fisheries in large quantities which are used as sources of income and reach the nishab, need to be reviewed for its zakah regulation. This study is a literature review that reviews classical to modern zakah fiqh. This normative research found that marine resources that reach the nishab must be taken out as zakah for agriculture, commerce, mining, and others. Differences of opinion among scholars in arguing whether or not zakah on the sea resources is obligatory are based on the presence or absence of sources of livelihood from marine products at that time, so that differences in times led to differences of opinion. However, marine resources today have become a big source of livelihood for certain people. So that all forms of income that reach the nishab must be issued zakah. It can be concluded, that the zakah level of the traded marine products can be verified to commercial zakah or gold and silver zakah, which is 2.5%, or zakah on findings, which is between 2.5% and 20%, it depending on the type of resources obtained.