Zakat on Rikaz (Buried Treasure) and Minerals

Short answer: The two cases differ. (1) Rikaz — buried treasure of the pre-Islamic (jahiliyyah) era found in the earth — carries one-fifth (20%, the khumus), due immediately on discovery, with NO nisab and NO waiting for a year. (2) Ma'din — minerals you extract from the earth — is distinct from rikaz: on gold and silver ore the weightier, evidence-based view is one-fortieth (2.5%) once it reaches the nisab, due at extraction and refining without a separate hawl (like a crop harvest). Details: The distinction turns on effort and origin. Rikaz is wealth someone else buried and you merely found, so its rate is high (20%) and unconditional. A mined mineral requires labour and processing, so it takes the lighter rate. If the found treasure carries the stamp of Muslims (Islamic coins/marks), it is treated as lost property (luqatah), not rikaz. Whoever owns the land owns what is found in it; treasure found on ownerless land belongs to the finder, who still pays the khumus. For solid non-precious minerals (iron, copper, etc.) scholars differ — some apply 2.5%, some the khumus, some exempt them; a scholar should be consulted for large-scale extraction. The khumus and any state share of mineral wealth are matters of governance beyond the individual's zakat. Evidence: 1. 'And in rikaz, a fifth (is due)' — Sahih al-Bukhari 1499 (the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم fixed 20% on buried treasure). 2. 'O you who believe, spend from the good things you have earned and from that which We have brought forth for you from the earth' — Surah al-Baqarah 2:267 (produce of the earth is zakatable). 3. The Permanent Committee and Shaykh Ibn Baz: ma'din is distinct from rikaz — gold/silver ore owes 2.5% at nisab, due on extraction without a separate hawl; other minerals are disputed. For complex individual cases, consult a qualified scholar.