Zakat

What is Zakat?

Zakat is the obligatory annual almsgiving and the third pillar of Islam. Every Muslim who owns wealth above a minimum threshold (nisab) for a full lunar year must give a fixed portion — generally 2.5% on money, gold, silver, and trade goods — to those entitled to receive it. Zakat is not optional charity but a right that the poor have over the wealth of the rich.

The Meaning in Depth

The very name zakat means purification and growth: it cleanses wealth of any wrongful attachment, purifies the heart from miserliness, and is promised to increase what remains through divine blessing. Zakat is mentioned in the Quran alongside prayer (salah) more than two dozen times, showing that worship of Allah and care for fellow human beings are inseparable. The Quran specifies eight categories of recipients (9:60): the poor, the needy, those employed to collect it, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, freeing captives, those in debt, in the cause of Allah, and the stranded traveller.

Zakat in the Quran

• "And establish prayer and give zakat..." (2:43)
• "Zakat is only for the poor and the needy, and those employed to collect it..." (9:60)
• "Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them and cause them to increase..." (9:103)

Living by This Pillar

Zakat reshapes a Muslim's relationship with wealth: it is held in trust from Allah, and a portion of it is never truly the owner's to keep. When the Prophet ﷺ sent Muadh to Yemen he instructed him to teach the people that Allah "has made charity (zakat) obligatory upon them, taken from their rich and given to their poor" (Bukhari 1395). Beyond the obligation, paying zakat purifies the soul from greed, binds the community together, and is a cause of barakah (blessing) in one's remaining wealth.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much zakat do I pay?

On savings, gold, silver, and trade goods that have reached the nisab and been held for one lunar year, the rate is 2.5%. Different rates and rules apply to crops, livestock, and mined wealth. Zakat al-Fitr, paid at the end of Ramadan, is a separate, smaller obligation per person.

What is the difference between zakat and sadaqah?

Zakat is the obligatory, fixed-rate charity that is one of the five pillars. Sadaqah is voluntary charity given at any time, in any amount, to anyone in need. All zakat is sadaqah in the broad sense, but not all sadaqah is the obligatory zakat.