Zakat

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Part of a series on the Islamic creed: Aqidah
Sunni Five Pillars of Islam
Shahādah - Profession of faith Salah - Prayer Zakâh - Paying of alms (giving to the poor) Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca
Sunni Six articles of belief
Tawhīd - Oneness Nabi and Rusul - Prophets and Messengers Kutub - Divinely Revealed Books. Malā'ikah - Angels Qiyâmah - Judgment Day Qadar - Fate
Shia Twelvers Principles of the Religion (Usul al-Din)
Tawhīd - Oneness Adalah - Justice Nubuwwah - Prophethood Imamah - Leadership Qiyâmah - Judgement day
Shia Twelvers Practices of the Religion (Furu al-Din)
Salah - Prayer Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Zakâh - Poor-rate Khums - One-fifth tax Jihad - Struggle Amr-Bil-Ma'rūf - Commanding good Nahi-Anil-Munkar - Forbidding evil Tawalla - Loving the Ahl al-Bayt Tabarra - Disassociating Ahl al-Bayt's enemies
Shia Ismaili 7 pillars
Walayah - Guardianship Taharah - Purity & cleanliness Salah - Prayers Zakâh - Purifying religious dues Sawm - Fasting during Ramadan Hajj - Pilgrimage to Mecca Jihad - Struggle
Others
Salafi/Kharijite Sixth pillar of Islam. This box: view • talk • edit

Part of a series on the
Islamic Jurisprudence
– a discipline of Islamic studies

Fields

economic
- Zakat
  - Jizya
  - Nisab
  - Khums
  - Sadaqah
    - Waqf
  - Bayt al-mal
- banking
  - Riba
  - Murabaha
  - Takaful
  - Sukuk
- Inheritance
political
marital
criminal
etiquettical
theological
hygienical
military

This box: view • talk • edit

This is a sub-article of Islamic economical jurisprudence.

Zakāt (Arabic: زكاة‎) is the Islamic concept of tithing and alms. It is an obligation on Muslims to pay 2.5% of their wealth to specified categories in society when their annual wealth exceeds a minimum level (nisab).

1 Etymology
2 Restrictions
3 Shiite Interpretation of zakat
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Etymology

Zakāt – classical Arabic: زكوة; modern Arabic: زكاة; Turkish: Zekât; also transliterated zakaat or zakah; "to grow" (in goodness), "increase," "purifying," "foster," "making pure".

[edit] Restrictions

There have been cases where you don't/can't pay zakat for/to.

Traditional zakat laws generally do not cover trade.
It is not permissible to pay zakat to some members of the family (i.e. grandparents, parents, spouses, children).
If a Muslim doesn't have enough money to pay zakat, zakat should be paid so in the following year, the zakat money should not been given to that same person.

[edit] Shiite Interpretation of zakat

According to the Shiite interpretation, also based on the Quran and reported speeches of the prophet Muhammad and his Household, there are two major forms of almsgiving: Khoms ("the fifth"), and Zakat. The Shiite consider both types to be a personal obligation, meaning that every Muslim has the full responsibility of purifying his own money, but the governor should have no force upon any individual to give up Zakat or Khoms. Khoms ("the fifth") is taken from war loots, metals, treasures, divings (pearls and so), and the money that is a mix between halal (pure) and haram (taboo). In modern days, the most common type of khoms that is extracted is of the last type mentioned before. Khoms for money is done by taking the fifth of the increment or the increase in the income stored after one lunar year, and this is done after paying debts or bills (if any).

An example calculation of the Khoms tithe: A man starts with $5000 in his bank account; on the same day after one lunar year passes, he has $5600 in his bank account (having already paid his bills and debts), and so must take the fifth of his $600 earnings, that is $120. What remains after the fifth (that is 5600-120=$5480) is recorded; if after one lunar year the man has more than $5480, then he finds the new difference and extracts a fifth from it as before. If instead he has less than $5480, then he has no earnings on which to pay Khoms. The Khoms is paid specifically for: 8:41^[1]

(1) Allah
(2) the Messenger of Allah
(3) the near relative of the Messenger (Ahl ul-Bayt)
(4) the orphans
(5) needy
(6) stranded traveler

Zakat on the other hand, according to the Shiite teachings, is assigned to specific goods. There are nine types of goods from which Zakat is paid out: gold, silver, camels, cows, sheep, wheat, barley, dates, and raisins. Each type has its own "nisab," or a limit under which Zakat need not be paid. Zakat is paid to the people mentioned in the overview of this article, although never to a Hashimite. Charity money or Sadaqah is never to be paid to a Hashimite since it is a taboo for a Hashimite to take such money, if it is not Khoms or a gift. Notice in that in both concepts, they are obligatory on the individual but should not be forced by the governor.

In modern days, Shiite muslims are concerned with Khoms more than Zakat mainly because few of them are farmers and own the goods by which Zakat is paid out. On the other hand, Khoms is given by many people starting from the middle class and above that, and especially by employees.