What options does the owner have after the *kharas* estimation determines the Zakat amount?
Chapter on Zakat on Crops and Fruits
Al-Mughni
Book of Zakat
Primary text
After the *kharis* has estimated the amount of Zakat due on the owner's fruit, the owner is given the choice: either to guarantee the estimated Zakat amount and dispose of the fruit as desired (including eating it), or to preserve the fruit until the time of harvest and drying. If the owner chooses preservation and the fruit is subsequently destroyed due to negligence, the owner is liable to the poor for the estimated Zakat share based on the *kharas*. If a third party destroys the fruit, they are liable for the value of what was destroyed, because the owner was obligated to ensure the drying of the fresh fruit, unlike the third party.
Supporting text
If the fruit is destroyed by an unforeseen calamity from the sky (*jalīha*), the estimated Zakat obligation is dropped, based on the ruling established by Ahmad, because the Zakat had not yet been definitively established. If the owner claims destruction occurred without negligence, their statement is accepted without an oath, as previously established.