A great majority of the fuqaha (jurists) arc of the view that zakat (alms) is obligatory only in the following nine cases: gold, silver, wheat, burly, date, raisins, camels, cows, and sheep. Some of the jurists such as Sayyid Murtada Shaykh Tusi, and Ibn Zuhrah approve of it in accordance with all others. There are certain jurists, tradationalists, and contemporary researchers who are not in agreement with this idea and hold that zakat should he obligatory in other cases as well, although this view was not recieved positively by earlier Shi’i jurists. Following some changes and developments in man’s life and sources of wealth, this view has drawn the attension of contemporary jurists. The present article tries to explore this issue and study the foundations of this theory with reference to those jurists who support this theory.
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