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UAE council issues fatwa on dates zakat; when, how much to pay
Zakat is obligatory on the total fruit of the palm trees owned by a person, and it must be paid from the dates themselves or from their value
- PUBLISHED: Mon 3 Aug 2026, 2:44 PM
- By:
- WAM
With UAE in date harvest season, the country's Fatwa Council clarified that zakat on crops and fruits — including dates — is a religious obligation that must be paid at harvest time if the total crop after drying reaches five awsaq, which is equivalent to 541kg.
This clarification came as the council issued General Fatwa No. (11) of 2026. The determination of the quota was based on a field study, which took into account the most famous varieties of dates produced on local farms.
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During the study, a team from the council measured the dates using a measure similar to the Prophetic measure and a scale approved by the Standards and Legislation Sector in the Ministry of Industry and Advanced Technology.
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The fatwa explained that zakat is obligatory on the total fruit of the palm trees owned by a person, whether the palm trees are in the farm, the house, or any land that belongs to him, and whether the crop is intended for trade, saving, eating, gifting, or charity. The owner must pay zakat if the combined produce of his palm trees reaches the prescribed threshold.
How much zakat to pay?
The fatwa clarified that the zakat on palm trees is 10 per cent of the entire harvest if it is irrigated by irrigation channels or rain without cost to its owner, while it is 5 per cent of the entire harvest if it is irrigated by wells or by means of irrigation that require cost.
The zakat must be paid from the dates themselves or from their value, and it must not be paid while the dates are still fresh, before they become ripe. However, if the owner of the palm trees sells his harvest while it is still fresh, it is permissible for him to pay the zakat from its value, according to the fatwa.
What about date companies?
The fatwa differentiated between two cases:
The first relates to the company that owns palm farms, or buys the original palm tree with fruit on it before it becomes ripe. In this case, it is obligated to pay zakat on the fruit according to the method of irrigation and the prescribed percentage. If it sells the crop, it adds its price to what it has of cash and other trade goods, and pays zakat on all of it when its usual zakat date arrives.
The second case relates to the company that does not own palm farms, but rather buys the fruits after they have ripened or buys the dates after they have been harvested. It is not obligated to pay zakat on the fruits, because its obligation is related to the crop while it is in the owner’s possession. In this case, the dates are considered merchandise, and are valued according to the market price, and are added to the cash and other merchandise, and zakat is paid on them at a rate of 2.5 per cent when the year has passed and the minimum amount has been reached.
The Council called on farm owners and those obligated to pay Zakat to adhere to the laws and regulations governing the payment of Zakat on dates, and to comply with the approved minimum amount (Nisab).
It emphasised the importance of paying Zakat through the relevant and accredited official bodies in the country. The Council also encouraged utilising the services of the General Authority for Islamic Affairs, Endowments and Zakat for calculating and paying Zakat through its approved channels, including the Authority's smart application.
The Council called on those wishing to inquire about Sharia rulings related to the zakat on dates to contact it and benefit from its fatwa services available around the clock through the website and smart application, to obtain reliable answers from the Sharia specialists in the Council.