Khums: Is Khums Due on Buried Treasure Found on One’s Own Land?

Practical Laws of Islam as per the teachings of Imam Khamenei

Khums: Is Khums Due on Buried Treasure Found on One’s Own Land?

English:

Question #887:

What is your opinion concerning buried treasure that someone finds on his own land?

Answer #887:

If he does not suspect that the found treasure belonged to the previous owner of the land, it belongs to him, and he must pay khums on it if it exceeds 20 golden dinars in the case of gold, 200 silver dirhams in the case of silver, or the price of any of them with respect to other kinds of treasure. This is if no one prevents him from retaining what he has found. But if the government or others prevent him and forcibly seize it, and what remains with him out of what he had found is equal to the value of the aforementioned threshold then khums applies only to that. Otherwise he is not liable to khums for what was seized from him.

-Imam Khamenei, Practical Laws of Islam, Importance and Conditions of Khums