What is Zakat?
Zakat (zakaat, zakah), or almsgiving, is one of the five pillars of Islam. This means that zakat is mandatory for Muslims, along with the other four sacred pillars of prayer (salah), fasting (sawm), pilgrimage (Hajj) and belief in Allah and His Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) (shahadah). For every sane, adult Muslim who owns wealth over a certain amount – known as the Nisab – he or she must pay 2.5% of that wealth as zakat.
“…and those in whose wealth there is a recognised right, for the needy and deprived” (Qur’an 70:24-5)
Eligible Muslims pay zakat once a year, and it is due as soon as one lunar (Islamic) year has passed since meeting or exceeding the nisab (certain amount of wealth). The zakat of every Muslim is then distributed to those who meet the criteria to receive it. At Islamic Relief, your zakat is distributed with the utmost care to ensure that the most vulnerable, including children, those affected by war, disease and climate disasters, have access to the help that they need.
What is nisab?
The nisab is the minimum amount of wealth a Muslim must possess before they become liable to pay zakat. This amount is often referred to as the nisab threshold.
Gold and silver are the 2 values used to calculate the nisab threshold. The nisab is the value of 87.48 grams of gold or 612.36 grams of silver.
Nisab value (as of 28/02/2025):
Using value of silver (595 grams) – approximately $954.20
Using value of gold (85 grams) – approximately $3,913
Zakat: A sacred pillar
Zakat is not just a fundamental pillar of Islam, it is also a revolutionary concept which can end extreme poverty – that is the power of zakat!
As Allah (SWT) tells us in the Holy Qur’an:
“And be steadfast in prayer and regular in charity: And whatever good you send forth for your souls before you, you shall find it with Allah.” (Qur’an 2:110)
It is also a right that the poor have over us.
“Those in whose wealth there is a recognised right for the needy and the poor.” (Qur’an 70:24-25)
Picture this: if just the 10 richest people in the world paid zakat – that would be a staggering $9.25 billion! The power of that money in tackling poverty would be huge.
When you give zakat to Islamic Relief, your donation is used in the most effective way possible to relieve the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people.
When you give zakat to Islamic Relief, your donation is used in the most effective way possible to relieve the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people.
Donate your Zakat: Your donations enable us to save lives
Your Zakat has funded some of our crucial work with people and communities living in disaster and war zones: drought and famine-struck countries across East Africa and communities affected by conflict in Syria. Your generosity has enabled communities to build sustainable livelihoods in the face of climate change, and enabled better lives for vulnerable orphans and families across the globe.
Alhamdulillah, you have the power to transform people’s lives.
How Islamic Relief use your donation
Islamic Relief spends your donations in the most effective way possible to relieve the suffering of the world’s most vulnerable people.
We spend the funds on the first category of zakat – the poor and needy. As administrators of zakat, we also take a proportion to cover admin costs of distributing aid (e.g the cost of petrol to transport the aid to a remote community). When you make a zakat donation, we take a fixed amount of up to 12.5% in admin fees.
What is Fitrana?
Fitrana is a charitable donation of food that is given before Eid prayer, therefore it must be given before the end of Ramadan. Fitrana must be given by every self-supporting Muslim who has food in excess of their needs, on behalf of themselves and their dependants.
How much is Zakat?
Your Zakat donation should amount to 2.5% of your total zakatable wealth. Therefore, if your total assets (after any debts owed) amounted to $10,000, you would pay $250. Use our free and easy Zakat Calculator to calculate how much you owe.
What are 2 types of Zakat?
The two main types are:
Zakat Al-Mal, is translated to ‘the Zakat of wealth’ and is commonly referred to as Zakat. It refers to the pillar of Islam stating that every sane, adult Muslim who owns wealth over a certain amount – known as the Nisab, must pay 2.5% of that wealth.
Fitrana or, Zakat al-Fitr, is a charitable donation of food that must be given before Eid prayer, before the end of the month of Ramadan, for the love of Allah.