Zakat

According to lexical terms, Zakāt translates to “purification”. In law, Zakāt is donation that is part of the five pillars of Islam. This is where we give a small portion of our income to charity. Sadaqah on the other hand, is not a specific pillar of Islam. In general, the typical amount to give Zakāt is 2.5% of ones income/assets. Zakāt is a FARDH- an obligation- on Muslims and we give it to those in need.

• The needy (people who own less than the nisāb)

• Poor, low income or indigent 

• Destitute: one who owns nothing at all 

• Indebted: meaning one is in debt and owns less than the nisāb

• Those who are traveling and have no resources

• Disbeliever

• Rich adult/child (meaning they own more than the nisāb)

• Banu Hashim and their freed slaves

• The zakāt payer’s family including parents, spouse,  grandparents, and offspring . 

• Zakāt can’t be used to repay the payer’s loan, pay for a mosque building, or repair of roads or bridges.

Zakāt  is a purification of the wealth Allah has given us, and we use our resources to help the community around us. Allah says in the Quran, “ And establish prayer and give Zakat, and whatever good you put forward for yourselves – you will find it with Allah.” (2:110)

In Hanafi Fiqh, to be eligible to give Zakāt, the following conditions need to be met: 

• One needs to be Muslim, Zakāt is not fardh on the disbeliever 

• One should be free in the sense that they are not contractually in anyone’s ownership

• One must be an adult (bāligh)

• One must be sane

• One must have Al- Milk al Tām- meaning that the person has the money/assets under their possession. 

• One must have their money/assets reach the *NISĀB, and this value of Nisāb fluctuates in small amounts over the year. Islamic Relief USA has a helpful calculator to understand whether or not one would give Zakāt. https://irusa.org/zakat-calculator/

• One should have wealth other than necessary wealth. For example, one would not give Zakāt for the clothes they wear, the home they live in, and riding animals. 

• One should have wealth free from debt

• Whoever has a debt that when deducted from his wealth, they are not able to reach the nisāb, then they would not pay. 

• Zakāt should be growing, in the sense that they don’t always have the same value to them. For example, one would give Zakāt on gold, silver, livestock, and money etc. Using this understanding, Zakāt is not to be given on gems such as diamonds, emeralds, or pearls etc.

• The condition for Zakāt to become compulsory is that an entire lunar year passes over the person that has the nisāb

• The wealth should be equal or greater to the nisab at BOTH ends of the lunar year