Almsgiving (Zakat)
What zakat is due on, how much, and who may receive it.
The basics
- What zakat is, and why it matters The meaning of zakat, its place as the third pillar of Islam, and the warnings and rewards the Qur'an and hadith attach to it.
- The ruling on zakat, and when it becomes obligatory Who zakat is obligatory on, what denying it means, and the eight conditions that must all be met before zakat is due.
What zakat is due on
- Zakat on gold and silver The minimum threshold (nisab) and rate for gold and silver, what happens above it, and the rules for mixed metals, currency and combined holdings.
- Zakat on trade goods How the minimum threshold (nisab) and value of stock-in-trade are worked out, and when profit and rented items are or are not liable to zakat.
- Zakat on pasturing animals (saimah) What makes an animal a pasturing animal (saimah), the minimum threshold (nisab) and rates for camels, cows and goats, and the rules that apply across all three.
Paying it
- The conditions for a valid payment of zakat What makes an act of giving actually count as zakat: who can pay it, the intention it needs, and who it must reach.
- Who may receive zakat The seven categories entitled to zakat, who may never receive it, and the preferred order for choosing who to give it to.
- Miscellaneous rules of zakat The age of a zakat animal, why herds of different animals cannot be combined, and the option to pay zakat in cash or in kind.