The land bought by the deceased without his inheritors knowing his intention

Q: Twenty years ago my father bought a piece of land without having a purchase deed. He did not offer it for sale. When my father died, I depended on this piece of land for my living and obtained a deed for it two years ago. I sold the land for 45,000 Riyals. I want to pay the Zakah (obligatory charity) due on this land, taking into account that when my father died, the heirs offered all his property for sale. Do I have to pay Zakah for this land from the time I obtained the deed? Or how should I pay Zakah for it?

A: As long as you do not know the intention of your father with regard to the abovementioned land, there is no Zakah due on it for the period during your father's lifetime. After his death, the land passed to the heirs; as long as you sold it for the sum of money mentioned above, each of the heirs has to pay the due Zakah from his share if one Hawl (one lunar year calculated from the time a property reaches the minimum amount upon which Zakah is due) passes and the money is in their possession.May Allah grant us success. May peace and blessings be upon our Prophet Muhammad, his family, and Companions.