Plots Bought as a Store of Value

Short answer: Without a firm, definite trade intention (bought precisely to resell at profit), a plot carries no yearly zakat — hovering thoughts like 'might sell if needed' do not create trade goods. When you do sell, the proceeds enter your cash books: hawl runs from that day, zakat after a year. But the day you firmly resolve 'this one I sell for profit', it becomes a trade good zakatable yearly from then. Details: This applies the 'undecided intention' fatwa — the default for land is exemption; the exception is firm trade intent alone. Two cautions: (1) converting cash to land as a zakat-dodging device is sinful — hiyal are forbidden; (2) leaving wealth idle year after year harms the ummah — farming, renting or investing it is better. If in doubt, the precautionary path: pay one year's zakat on the full price in the year of sale. Evidence: Sahih al-Bukhari 1 and Sahih Muslim 1907 (intentions); the exemption principle of Sahih al-Bukhari 1464; the anti-device principle of Sahih al-Bukhari 1450; Shaykh al-Uthaymin (Majmuʿ Fatawa, Zakat). For complex individual cases, consult a qualified scholar.