Within its legal jurisdiction as the sole authority authorized to issue general Islamic fatwas in the UAE, and in fulfillment of its role in organizing fatwa affairs and unifying their religious reference to serve society’s interest and promote ease and moderation, the UAE Fatwa Council, in cooperation with the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Zakat, has set the zakat nisab for dates for the year 2025 at 541 kilograms.

Zakat on dates is a unanimously agreed upon obligation if the entire harvest reaches the nisab and is due at harvest time; as stated in the Quran: “And it is He who produces gardens trellised and untrellised, and date palms, and crops of different shape and taste (its fruits and its seeds) and olives, and pomegranates, similar (in kind) and different (in taste). Eat of their fruit when they ripen, but pay the due thereof (its Zakat, according to Allah’s Orders) on the day of its harvest.” (Quran 6:141)

The nisab is calculated on the dried dates, not before drying, and zakat on dates is to be distributed to the eight categories mentioned by Allah in the Quran: “Indeed, the charity is for the poor and the needy and those employed to collect [Zakat] and those whose hearts are to be reconciled and to free the captives and those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler – an obligation [imposed] by Allah.” (Quran 9:60)

The council specified the zakat rate for dates when the nisab is reached, explaining that palm trees irrigated by a water source that does not cost the owner require a zakat of one-tenth (10%) of the harvest, while palm trees irrigated at a cost require half of that, i.e., one-twentieth (5%). This is based on the hadith of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with them, who reported the Prophet ﷺ said: “What is irrigated by rain and springs or by floodwater is one-tenth, and what is irrigated by a well is half of one-tenth.”

The council also stated that zakat on dates can be given from the dates themselves or their value, and that giving zakat on fresh dates is not valid, but if the fresh dates are sold, zakat can be given from their value according to many scholars. The council also permitted paying zakat on dates in cash.

The farm owner calculates zakat on the remaining harvest after drying and sorting only, excluding what he consumed or distributed as gifts before harvest. This is the opinion of many scholars, and zakat is not obligatory on what the owner consumes, gifts, or donates unless it exceeds one-third of the harvest, to ease the burden on the consumer and provide leniency.

The council called on farm owners to adhere to laws and regulations governing the payment of zakat on dates and to comply with the nisab amount set by the UAE Fatwa Council.

The council emphasized the importance of paying zakat through official authorized bodies in the country. Zakat payers can benefit from the services of the General Authority of Islamic Affairs and Endowments and Zakat in calculating and how to pay zakat on dates.