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One
of the most important principles of Islam is that all things belong to
God, and that wealth is therefore held by human beings in trust.
The word Zakat means both 'purification' and 'growth'. Our possessions
are purified by setting aside a proportion for those in need, and, like
the pruning of plants, this cutting back balances and encourages new
growth.
Zakat is the amount of money that every adult,
mentally stable, free, and financially able Muslim, male and female, has
to pay to support specific categories people.
This category of people is defined in surah at-Taubah
(9) verse 60: " The alms are only for the poor and the needy, and
those who collect them, and those whose hearts are to be reconciled, and
to free the captives and the debtors, and for the cause of Allah, and
(for) the wayfarers; a duty imposed by Allah. Allah is knower,
Wise." (The Holy Qur'an 9:60).
The obligatory nature of Zakat is firmly
established in the Qur'an, the Sunnah (or hadith), and the consensus of
the companions and the Muslim scholars. Allah states in Surah at-Taubah
verses 34-35: "34:O ye who believe! there are indeed many among the
priests and anchorites, who in Falsehood devour the substance of men and
hinder (them) from the way of Allah. And there are those who bury gold
and silver and spend it not in the way of Allah. announce unto them a
most grievous penalty- 35:On the Day when heat will be produced out of
that (wealth) in the fire of Hell, and with it will be branded their
foreheads, their flanks, and their backs, their flanks, and their
backs.- "This is the (treasure) which ye buried for yourselves:
taste ye, then, the (treasures) ye buried!" (The Holy Qur'an 9:34-35).
The prophet (pbuh) said: "Any owner of gold
and silver who does not deliver from them their right, on the Day of
Quiyamah (Day of Judgment), (the gold and silver) will be shaped as
foils of fire. Then it will be heated in the fire of Hell; (and) then
with it he will be ironed on his side, his forehead, and his back"
(narrated by Muslim).
It is agreed between Muslims in all the centuries
the obligatory nature of paying Zakat for gold and silver, and from
those the other kinds of currency.
Zakat is obligatory when a certain amount of
money, called the nisab is reached or exceeded. Zakat is not obligatory
if the amount owned is less than this nisab. The nisab (or minimum
amount) of gold and golden currency is 20 mithqal, this is approximately
85 grams of pure gold. One mithqal is approximately 4.25 grams. The
nisab of silver and silver currency is 200 dirhams, which is
approximately 595 grams of pure silver. The nisab of other kinds of
money and currency is to be scaled to that of gold, 85 grams of pure
gold. This means that the nisab of money is the price of 85 grams of
999-type (pure) gold, on the day in which Zakat is paid.
When is Zakat Due ?
- 1. Passage of One Lunar Year:
- Zakat is obligatory after a time span of one
lunar year passes with the money in the control of it's owner. Then
the owner needs to pay 2.5% (or 1/40) of the money as Zakat. (A
lunar year is approximately 355 days).
- 2. Deduction of Debts:
- The owner should deduct any amount of money he
or she borrowed from others; then check if the rest reaches the
necessary nisab, then pays Zakat for it.
If the owner had enough money to satisfy the nisab at
the beginning of the year, then the money increased (in profits,
salaries, inheritance, grants...etc.), the owner needs to add the
increase to the nisab amount owned at the beginning of the year; then
pay Zakat, 2.5%, of the total at the end of the lunar year. (there are
small differences in the fiqh schools here)
Each Muslim calculates his or her own Zakat
individually. For most purposes this involves the payment each year of
two and a half percent of one's capital. (Zakat
Calculator)
Inside
Mosque
