What is the obligation of paying usher when crops are destroyed due to a disaster?

Explanation

Ushr is an agricultural obligation levied at 10% (or 5% on irrigated land) on the actual harvest. Islamic jurisprudence holds that if crops are destroyed by floods, drought, pests, or any calamity before harvesting, the owner is exempt from paying ushr because the condition of actual produce being obtained has not been fulfilled. The liability of ushr only attaches when the crop is safely harvested and reaches the nisab threshold.

Good to know

Ushr is mentioned in the Quran (Surah Al-An'am, 6:141) and is payable on agricultural produce. The rate varies: 10% on rain-fed land and 5% on artificially irrigated land. The obligation arises at the time of harvest, and if crops perish before harvest due to circumstances beyond the owner's control, no zakah or ushr is due. This principle is derived from the broader Islamic legal maxim that obligations are contingent upon capability and actual possession of wealth.

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