Third Pillar: Zakat (Giving to Charity)

 



الزكاة

Zakat

Giving to Charity


Zakat is the third pillar of Islam, which commands people to give a portion of their money to the poor and needy. It is an obligatory act of charity that aims to support the poorest in society. Donating money to the poor purifies the wealth of the rich and allows the poor and their families to meet their basic needs.

If the year is complete on the first of the month, it must be paid on the first of the month, and if it is not complete until the middle or end of the month, it must not be paid before that.

Since believers are brothers and brotherhood is based on kindness, charity, compassion, love and mercy, Allah has made it obligatory for Muslims to give zakat, which is taken from their rich and returned to their poor, saying: “ Take from their wealth an alms that purifies and purifies them : Take from their wealth an alms that purifies and purifies them, and pray for them, and your prayer is a dwelling place for them Repentance/103.

Zakat purifies and grows money, purifies souls from greed and stinginess, and strengthens the love between the rich and the poor, so that hatred is removed, security prevails, and the nation is happy.

Zakat conditions

Zakat is of great importance, which led to the existence of a zakat law and strict conditions for it,and the conditions for obligatory zakat are

  1. Islam: Zakat is only obligatory on a Muslim, as it is not accepted from a disbeliever.

  2. Freedom: Zakat is not obligatory on a slave, because he does not own anything.

  3. Halal: The money must be halal.

  4. Full ownership: The money must be completely owned by the owner.

  5. Growth: The money must be growing or capable of increasing, such as cattle that breed and crops that bear fruit.

  6. Hulul: A full Hijri year must have passed since owning the money. This condition applies to all types of Zakat money, except for crops and fruits, which are due upon harvest.

  7. Surplus of original needs: The money must be surplus to the original and necessary needs, such as food, drink, clothing, housing, and everything that is necessary for living.

  8. Nisab: Ownership and attainment of the nisab, which varies according to the type of Zakat money.

  9. The money must not be in debt.

Zakat nisab

The  nisab is the minimum value that if a year passes, and it is with the Muslim and does not decrease, Zakat must be paid, and it varies according to the different types of money:

  • The nisab of gold is twenty megaliters, and zakat is not obligatory in less than that; based on the report from the mother of the believers, Mrs. Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), that the Prophet (peace be upon him): “He used to take from every twenty dinars and upwards half a dinar and from the forty dinars one dinar.

  • The nisab of silver is five hundred and ninety-five grams of pure silver, which is known as thousand-caliber silver.

  • As for the zakat of banknotes, it is determined by the price of gold or silver. If the nisab of gold is eighty-five grams, and the price of a gram of gold is thirty-five dinars, for example, the price of a gram of gold is thirty-five dinars.

Types of Zakat

There are a number of types of zakat for which a Muslim must give zakat:

Zakat on money

Zakat must be paid on money, whether it is minted or milled. It is done by dividing the total amount to be zakat by 40, so let's assume that the amount to be zakat is 100,000 dollars, the zakat is calculated as follows: 100,000/40 = 2500 dollars.

Zakat on gold

Gold and silver are among the types of zakat that Allah Almighty has commanded us, and among the conditions under which zakat is obligatory in gold and silver:

  • It must reach the nisab, which is equal to 85 grams of pure 24-karat gold, so if it is less than that, it is not zakatable until it is restored to its original value.

  • It must reach the Hulul, which is a full lunar year.

  • Full ownership, and that it belongs to a free Muslim.

Zakat on crops and fruits

The nisab in which zakat is due from fruits and crops is five ounces by the kilo standard, and one ounce is sixty sausages, and a sausageis equal to two kilograms and forty grams of good righteousness, so the pot that is filled with this amount of righteousness is a saucer, so the nisab is three hundred sausages, and the amount that must be taken out is half a tenth, if the watering is at cost, and if it is without cost, such as watering with rainwater, then a tenth of the crop must be taken out if it reaches the nisab.

Fruits must meet the conditions of zakat to be zakatable:

  • They must be outside of the zakat holder's land.

  • They must reach the nisab, which is five ounces, which is equivalent to approximately (612) kilograms.

Zakat on assets

Exploited assets include anything that is leased for profit, such as residential buildings, equipment, or means of transportation. It also includes productive animals such as sheep for wool, cows for milk, or bees for honey. Liquid assets are goods that can be easily sold, usually for a profit. Zakat is only due once in a zakat year, and all the conditions for zakat are met.



Zakat recipients

God has imposed Zakat on the rich and ordered them to pay it after calculating it to eight categories in the Holy Qur'an. God said: {The alms are for the poor, the poor, the poor, those who work for them, those who have their hearts broken, those who have their hearts in bondage, the gharimin, the way of Allah, and the son of the way, a commandment from Allah, and God is knowledgeable and wise}.

  • The poor: They are those who do not have enough to eat.

  • The poor: People who have little money.

  • Workers: Those employed by the ruler to collect zakat money and distribute it to those who deserve it.

  • Compassionate hearts: Those whose hearts are to be converted to Islam or fixed to Islam because their Islam is weak.

  • The slaves: They are slaves and serfs.

  • Borrowers: Those who have incurred debts and are unable to repay them.

  • For the sake of Allah: Mujahideen who went out to fight the enemy to uphold the word of God.

  • The son of the way: A traveler who is cut off from his country and has run out of money.

Who is not entitled to Zakat

  • The rich and strong who are able to earn.

  • Anyone to whom the zakat recipient is related or who is related to the zakat recipient by birth; ascendants, descendants, spouse, and those whom a person is obligated to support.

  • Non-Muslims other than those whose hearts are unbelievers (disbelievers).

  • The lascivious heretic.

The impact of zakat

The benefits of zakat are great for the individual and the community, as it is a consolation between Muslims to each other, as the rich comfort the poor, and give him from his money to help him with his needs, and unite hearts, so it has benefits. This is why God Almighty legislated it because of its great benefits to the individual and society.

The Impact of Zakat on the Individual

  • Zakat purifies its owner from greed and frees him from the bondage of money. The Almighty says: {And whoever fights the greed of his soul, those are the ones who are successful} [Surat al-Hashr: 9].

  • Zakat is a training in charity and spending in the way of Allah.

  • Zakat is a thankfulness for God's grace, a cure for the heart from the love of the world, and a purification of the soul. The Almighty says: {Take from their wealth a charity that will purify them and make them pure... } [Repentance: 103].

The impact of zakat on society

  • Improving the social and living conditions of the needy, as it alleviates poverty in society and helps economic equality.

  • Zakat plays an important role in revitalizing the economic movement, because if a Muslim hoards his money, he is forced to pay zakat on it by a minimum of 2.5% every year, which leads to its depletion.

  • Zakat minimizes disparities between people. Islam recognizes the disparity in livelihoods.

  • Zakat plays a major role in eliminating begging and increasing the level of security in society.