Islamic Propagation Office of Qom Seminary, Khorasan Razavi Branch Journal of Islamic Law and Jurisprudence 2476-7565 11 4 2026 02 20 A Comparative Jurisprudential Study of the Due Date of Zakāt on Wheat and Barley within a Responsiveness-Oriented Fiqh Framework A Comparative Jurisprudential Study of the Due Date of Zakāt on Wheat and Barley within a Responsiveness-Oriented Fiqh Framework 79 111 79659 10.22034/jrj.2025.70096.2886 FA Seyyedabbas Dianatmoghaddam High-level professor at Qom Seminary. Qom. Iran. s.a.dianat@gmail.com; Journal Article 2025 02 24 In the ijtihādī and fatwāī works of jurists, ambiguities persist regarding the due date of zakāt on the four cereals—wheat, barley, dates, and raisins—thereby complicating practical guidance. The central question of this study is: what principles and criteria do jurists employ in determining the point at which zakāt becomes due on wheat and barley? In particular, terms such as inqiʿād (formation) and ishtidād al-ḥabb (hardening or ripening of the grain) are invoked in reference to wheat and barley; what precisely do these terms denote, and may they be regarded as alternative expressions of the legal notion of ṣidq al-ism (the applicability of the designation)? Furthermore, if a jurist adopts badw al-ṣalāḥ (initial emergence of suitability) as the criterion for the obligation of zakāt, at what stage is this criterion practically realized? Despite apparent similarities in foundational principles among certain jurists, their issued fatāwā differ. With respect to the time at which zakāt becomes obligatory on wheat and barley, two principal criteria are commonly identified: the applicability of the name (ṣidq al-ism) “wheat” and “barley,” and ishtidād al-ḥabb. However, the assumption that these two criteria are identical is imprecise. Moreover, the determination of the time of obligation by some jurists involves elements of subject-matter assessment, which, as such, do not necessarily constitute binding proof (ḥujjah) for the legally responsible individual (mukallaf). The divergence of opinion between Imām Khomaynī and Āyatullāh al-Sīstānī concerning the consumption of wheat and barley prior to drying—where one holds that zakāt remains due on produce consumed at that stage and the other does not, despite shared foundational premises—appears to stem from differing jurisprudential interpretations. According to Imām Khomaynī, the applicability of the designation “wheat” or “barley” is realized when the crop becomes ready for harvest. By contrast, in the view of Āyatullāh al-Sīstānī, ishtidād al-ḥabb, which occurs prior to harvest, suffices for the designation to apply, even if the crop has not yet reached full harvest readiness. In the ijtihādī and fatwāī works of jurists, ambiguities persist regarding the due date of zakāt on the four cereals—wheat, barley, dates, and raisins—thereby complicating practical guidance. The central question of this study is: what principles and criteria do jurists employ in determining the point at which zakāt becomes due on wheat and barley? In particular, terms such as inqiʿād (formation) and ishtidād al-ḥabb (hardening or ripening of the grain) are invoked in reference to wheat and barley; what precisely do these terms denote, and may they be regarded as alternative expressions of the legal notion of ṣidq al-ism (the applicability of the designation)? Furthermore, if a jurist adopts badw al-ṣalāḥ (initial emergence of suitability) as the criterion for the obligation of zakāt, at what stage is this criterion practically realized? Despite apparent similarities in foundational principles among certain jurists, their issued fatāwā differ. With respect to the time at which zakāt becomes obligatory on wheat and barley, two principal criteria are commonly identified: the applicability of the name (ṣidq al-ism) “wheat” and “barley,” and ishtidād al-ḥabb. However, the assumption that these two criteria are identical is imprecise. Moreover, the determination of the time of obligation by some jurists involves elements of subject-matter assessment, which, as such, do not necessarily constitute binding proof (ḥujjah) for the legally responsible individual (mukallaf). The divergence of opinion between Imām Khomaynī and Āyatullāh al-Sīstānī concerning the consumption of wheat and barley prior to drying—where one holds that zakāt remains due on produce consumed at that stage and the other does not, despite shared foundational premises—appears to stem from differing jurisprudential interpretations. According to Imām Khomaynī, the applicability of the designation “wheat” or “barley” is realized when the crop becomes ready for harvest. By contrast, in the view of Āyatullāh al-Sīstānī, ishtidād al-ḥabb, which occurs prior to harvest, suffices for the designation to apply, even if the crop has not yet reached full harvest readiness.

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