Zakat in Islam is an obligatory form of almsgiving, constituting the third pillar of Islam. It is a percentage of wealth that a Muslim must give to charitable causes to purify and strengthen their spiritual and material wealth. Zakat is mandatory for individuals who possess a certain amount of wealth known as nisab. It is one of the ways in which Muslims practice social solidarity and care for the needy in society. Zakat aims not only to help the poor but also to balance wealth in society.
What does Quran say about it?
1. Compulsory, to purify the wealth:
خُذ مِن أَموالِهِم صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُم وَتُزَكّيهِم بِها وَصَلِّ عَلَيهِم ۖ إِنَّ صَلاتَكَ سَكَنٌ لَهُم ۗ وَاللَّهُ سَميعٌ عَليمٌ
Take from their wealth ˹O Prophet˺ charity to purify and bless them, and pray for them—surely your prayer is a source of comfort for them. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
Sura Al-Taubah, (9:103)
2. Recipients of zakat:
نَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَاِبْنِ السَّبِيلِ فَرِيضَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ وَاللَّهُ عَلِيمٌ حَكِيمٌ
Alms-tax is only for the poor and the needy, for those employed to administer it, for those whose hearts are attracted ˹to the faith˺, for ˹freeing˺ slaves, for those in debt, for Allah’s cause, and for ˹needy˺ travellers. ˹This is˺ an obligation from Allah. And Allah is All-Knowing, All-Wise.
Sura Al-Tauba, 9:60
3. Equitable distribution:
مَّآ أَفَآءَ ٱللَّهُ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ مِنْ أَهْلِ ٱلْقُرَىٰ فَلِلَّهِ وَلِلرَّسُولِ وَلِذِى ٱلْقُرْبَىٰ وَٱلْيَتَـٰمَىٰ وَٱلْمَسَـٰكِينِ وَٱبْنِ ٱلسَّبِيلِ كَىْ لَا يَكُونَ دُولَةًۢ بَيْنَ ٱلْأَغْنِيَآءِ مِنكُمْ ۚ وَمَآ ءَاتَىٰكُمُ ٱلرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَىٰكُمْ عَنْهُ فَٱنتَهُوا۟ ۚ وَٱتَّقُوا۟ ٱللَّهَ ۖ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ شَدِيدُ ٱلْعِقَابِ
As for gains granted by Allah to His Messenger from the people of ˹other˺ lands, they are for Allah and the Messenger, his close relatives, orphans, the poor, and ˹needy˺ travellers so that wealth may not merely circulate among your rich. Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it. And whatever he forbids you from, leave it. And fear Allah. Surely Allah is severe in punishment.
Sura Al-Hashr, 59:7
4. Alternative to interest
وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن رِّبًۭا لِّيَرْبُوَا۟ فِىٓ أَمْوَٰلِ ٱلنَّاسِ فَلَا يَرْبُوا۟ عِندَ ٱللَّهِ ۖ وَمَآ ءَاتَيْتُم مِّن زَكَوٰةٍۢ تُرِيدُونَ وَجْهَ ٱللَّهِ فَأُو۟لَـٰٓئِكَ هُمُ ٱلْمُضْعِفُونَ
Whatever loans you give, ˹only˺ seeking interest at the expense of people’s wealth1 will not increase with Allah. But whatever charity you give, ˹only˺ seeking the pleasure of Allah—it is they whose reward will be multiplied.
Sura Ar-Rum, 30:39
Recipients of zakat
To be eligible to receive zakat, the recipient must be poor and/or needy. A poor person is someone whose property, in excess of his basic requirements, does not reach the nisab threshold.
The recipient must not belong to your immediate family; your spouse, children, parents and grandparents cannot receive your zakat. Other relatives, however, can receive your zakat.
Who pays Zakat?
Zakat is obligatory on someone who is:
- A free man or woman: A slave does not have to pay zakat.
- A Muslim. Zakat is a religious obligation upon Muslims, like the five daily prayers.
- Sane: The person on whom zakat becomes obligatory must be of sound mind according to Imam Abu Hanifa. Imam Malik holds that an insane person is still liable for zakat.
- An adult: Children do not have to pay zakat, even if they own enough wealth to make zakat obligatory. However, both Imam Shafi’i and Imam Malik say that the guardians of the children should pay the zakat on their behalf.
- In complete ownership and control of their wealth: The person must own and be in possession of the wealth, and also be free to spend or dispose of the wealth in any manner they like. If a person has made a loan of their wealth then they are not in a position to spend it until it is repaid.
- In possession of wealth above the nisab threshold: The person should possess wealth above a defined amount required to satisfy the essential needs of themselves and their dependents (nisab).
- Free from debt: Someone in debt may deduct his debts from his assets, if what remains is still above the nisab threshold, zakat is due, otherwise not.
- In possession of the wealth for one complete lunar (Hijrah) year: If one owns zakatable wealth for a lunar year, zakat will become obligatory, provided the total amount of wealth exceeds the nisab at the beginning of the year and the end, irrespective of any fluctuations in the months between.
What is Nisab?
To be liable to pay zakat, your total wealth must exceed “nisab.”
To determine nisab, there are two measurements: gold or silver.
Gold: Nisab on the gold standard is 87.48 grams of gold or its monetary equivalent. This is approximately PLN 27,307.02 for gold as of April 1, 2024.
Silver: A silver standard nisab is 612.36 grams of silver or its cash equivalent. This is approximately PLN 2,104.18 as of April 1, 2024.
It is better to take the equivalent in Silver for the calculation, so that more people will pay and those in need can benefit from it!
It is possible to pay zakat through our foundation.
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