fulfilled what was obligatory upon him and discharged his liability; and if it was not obligatory, then it is charity. As for one who does not pay it, we cannot declare him sinful or say, “You have neglected one of the pillars of Islam with regard to this type of wealth,” because this requires evidence that gives the heart reassurance.

His statement, “from what he owns,” means: on his own land—for example, if bees build a hive in a tree on his land and he takes the honey from it.

Or “uncultivated land,” meaning land that is not owned by anyone, such as when he takes it from mountaintops, the depths of ravines, and the like.

Question: Is zakah due on petroleum?

Answer: No zakah is due on it, because it is owned by the state and is designated for public interests; whatever is of this nature is not subject to zakah.

Rikāz is whatever is found of pre-Islamic buried treasure; one-fifth is due on it, whether little or much . . . . . . .

His statement, “Rikāz is whatever is found of pre-Islamic buried treasure”: the phrase “pre-Islamic buried treasure,” with the letter dāl pronounced with kasrah, has the meaning of a passive participle—that is, that which was buried by the people of the pre-Islamic period. Pronouncing the dāl with fatḥah is incorrect, since it would then be a verbal noun.

Rikāz is a form carrying the meaning of a passive participle; that is, something embedded, namely, something buried. The word rikāz is the subject, and its predicate is the relative expression “whatever is found.” Yet not everything buried is rikāz; rather, it is that which was buried during the pre-Islamic period. The pre-Islamic period means the time before Islam. Thus, one may find a buried treasure in the ground, and after extracting it find signs of the pre-Islamic period on it—for example, coins known to predate Islam, or bearing a date from before Islam, or the like.