The Concept of Zakat of Mustaghallat and Its Application to Long Term Investment Sukuk

The topic of financial markets and the Zakat rulings related to its products is among the topics that reoccur from time to time with the changes in product versions and features as there are new developments related to long term investment products ranging from the shares in the stock market to the various forms of sukuk. Is it therefore conceivable to develop a fiqh ruling for those who own such long term instruments for investment and are awaiting the returns – similar to Zakat on “mustaghallat” (rental and lease income generating assets), where the zakat is only paid on the rental income? This is in fact the opinion of some of the Zakat bodies and institutions in Malaysia, specifically for Zakat on long-term investment products such as shares and Sukuk, where zakat is due on the dividends only after the passing of a full year, which is in line with the tax system. The question that this research presents is: Can zakat on long-term investment sukuk be considered equal to zakat on mustaghallat which is compulsory on the yields/rental income only? This research aims to investigate the new data on sukuk and review the accuracy of the ruling that their zakat is the same as the zakat of mustaghallat.