Zakat

What is Zakat or Zakat al Maal?

Zakat is one of the key pillars of Islam. Giving Zakat has been commanded in numerous instances throughout the Quran and Sunnah. This is not a simple form of charity but more so an act of worship (Ibadah)

It is an obligation for every Muslim to give a portion from their wealth as Zakat, if they exceed the Zakat giving threshold (i.e. Minimum Nisab value) for one lunar (Hijri) year. Zakat is paid every year on your Zakat anniversary which is based on the date your wealth passed the Nisab.

Zakat is not just about financial assistance; it's about purifying wealth, fostering social responsibility, and promoting economic justice in the community we live in. More importantly, giving Zakat brings you closer to Allah SWT.

The Quran stipulates that Zakat must be distributed to only eight categories of people as specified in Surah At-Tawbah below. Further Allah ends this important Ayat by establishing that paying Zakat is an obligation that has been imposed on us.

Zakat expenditures are only for the poor and for the needy and for those employed for it and for bringing hearts together [for Islām] and for freeing captives [or slaves] and for those in debt and for the cause of Allah and for the [stranded] traveler - an obligation [imposed] by Allah. And Allah is Knowing and Wise. Surah At- Tawbah, Quran 9:60

Don’t forget Zakat is a purification of your wealth. Therefore, more than the recipients, it is the giver that benefits in this world and the next.

In the blessed month of Ramadan, rewards are multiplied, and the blessings are numerous - don’t miss this chance to pay your Zakat.