How Does One Calculate the Passage of One Lunar Year?
A minimum of nisâb must have amassed and stayed in one’s possession for one full lunar year (hawl) before Zakât is due. According to Abû Hanîfah, nisâb need only be available at the beginning and at the end of the Zakât year. The other three major schools require that nisâb remains in ownership during the entire lunar year (hawl), not dipping below that threshold. This ruling is limited to livestock, money, and business assets. It does not include crops, fruits, honey, metals, and treasures. They are zakatable, and their Zakât comes due, when they are mined or harvested (Fiqh az-Zakât, 95-96, 98-99). Zakât becomes due after the passage of 12 full lunar months. This can be determined either from the beginning of ownership of the nisâb in a category of wealth, or the past date of one’s Zakât payment on that category. Thus to say that the passage of a lunar year is required on all zakatable wealth is incorrect. It is required only on nisâb. Any increase of wealth—after it reaches its nisâ
