Zakat

Zakat is an obligatory annual payment every financially able Muslim makes, set at exactly 2.5% of savings held above the nisab threshold for one full lunar year. It differs from sadaqah, which is voluntary charity given at any time and in any amount. The nisab in 2026 equals about 85 grams of gold or 595 […]

Zakat must go to one of eight specific recipient categories set by Allah in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60). It’s not a general charity you can give to anyone in need. Unlike sadaqah, zakat follows strict Quranic eligibility rules that don’t bend for good intentions. According to Pew Research, an estimated 1.8 billion Muslims worldwide observe zakat, […]

Zakat al-Fitr, known as Fitrah, is the obligatory charity every Muslim must pay before Eid al-Fitr prayer. It’s not the same as Zakat al-Mal, the annual wealth tax. Fitrah is a fixed per-person amount, not a percentage of savings. The Hanafi school sets it at roughly $5 to $7 USD per person, based on the […]

Paying the zakat means giving 2.5% of your total qualifying wealth to those in need, once a full lunar year (hawl) has passed on savings that meet or exceed the nisab threshold. Unlike sadaqah, which is voluntary, zakat is one of the Five Pillars of Islam and carries a specific, calculated obligation. The Quran commands […]

Zakat must go to one of eight categories named directly in the Quran (Surah At-Tawbah, 9:60). It is not a general charity. Unlike sadaqah, which any person in need can receive, Zakat has strict legal conditions set by Islamic jurisprudence. The Quran names the poor (fuqara), the needy (masakeen), Zakat collectors, new Muslims, those in […]

Zakat is payable to eight specific categories of people, named directly in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60) of the Quran. It’s not the same as sadaqah, which can go to anyone. Zakat follows strict rules. The eight categories are: the poor (fuqara), the needy (masakin), zakat collectors, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, people in bondage, […]

Zakat must go to one of eight specific recipient groups named in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60) of the Quran. It differs from sadaqah, which can go to anyone. The Pew Research Center estimates Muslims worldwide give between $200 billion and $1 trillion USD in zakat annually, making it one of the largest private wealth transfers on […]

To give zakat correctly, a Muslim calculates 2.5% of all net savings and assets held above the nisab threshold for one full lunar year, then distributes that amount to one or more of the eight categories of recipients named in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60). Zakat is not the same as sadaqah. Sadaqah is voluntary and can […]

Zakat is one of Islam’s five pillars. It requires every adult Muslim who owns wealth above the nisab threshold to give 2.5% of that wealth annually to one of eight eligible categories set by the Quran in Surah At-Tawbah (9:60). It’s not a voluntary act of charity. Zakat is a financial obligation calculated on savings, […]

A Zakat fund is a pool of collected Zakat wealth distributed to eight specific categories defined in the Quran (Surah At-Tawbah 9:60). It’s not the same as Sadaqah, which is voluntary. The nisab threshold, confirmed by Islamic scholars, sits at the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver—roughly $5,800 USD at […]