Dear respected Shaykh, assalamu alaikum wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. I had shares in an electrical company for several years, and I do not know their number because my father is the one who bought and he kept track of them. I did not know anything about these shares. I received some profits from these shares. Some time ago, I sold these shares. How is the Zakat for these shares calculated? Should I pay the Zakat for the previous years?
زكاة أسهم الشركات
Answer
Praise be to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family and his companions. Wa alaikum assalam wa rahmatullahi wa barakatuh. As to what follows: In response to your question, we say: What is apparent is that these shares were not for trading but they were for acquiring yearly profits. In that case, if the company pays Zakat then nothing is due from you. If the company did not pay Zakat, you should calculate your profits for the past years and pay Zakat. If you are not certain of the actual numbers then you should estimate it.
