Towards A Unified Zakat System

4.4.4.2 Starting point of Zakat dutyThere is no Zakat on anything that can be measured by ameasuring standard unless the quantity harvested is about653Kg. This measurement is based on the prophet sayingthat There is no Zakat on what is less than five wassaks(Al-Sultan, 1997).Five wassaks have been determined to equal 653Kg. Thestarting point of Zakat on products that cannot be measuredby a standard (such as cotton) is not clear in Islamicjurisprudence. The starting point should be the equivalentin value of the least expensive measured product. If,therefore, the value of 653Kg of barley considering barleythe least expensive product is £1,000 then Zakat is due oncotton when its value is equal to, or more than, £1,000.Al-Qaradawi (1986) prefers this suggestion, although hepoints out that the equivalent measure should not be theleast expensive of the products and not the most expensive,rather a product that is in the middle ground in terms ofvalue. According to Al-Qaradawi (1986) this is so that wedon't injure the poor or do injustice to the rich. It seemsthat this is a good method as long as the standard productis agreed upon.128