How should I calculate and pay zakāh?
Zakāh has conditions, a nisab, a rate, and categories of recipients — all laid out in the Qur'an and the classical fiqh tradition. An overview grounded in the four madhāhib.
10 passages from 5 books in the library
Calculator Try the Zakāt calculator — 4-madhhab guide →The classical approach.
These passages are drawn from 5 books by Imam al-Ghazali, Imam al-Dhahabī, Ibn Kathir, and Ibn al-Qayyim — part of the classical Sunni tradition that carries over a thousand years of reflection on the Qurʾān, the authentic Sunnah, and the consensus of the early community. Nothing below is a paraphrase. The words are the scholars' own, translated from the original Arabic manuscripts.
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"Zakat is categorized into six types: Zakat on livestock, Zakat on gold and silver, Zakat on trade, Zakat on buried wealth and minerals, Zakat on agricultural produce, and Zakat al-Fitr. Type One: Zakat on Livestock Al-Ahnaf ibn Qais said, "I was with a group from Quraysh when Abu Dharr passed by and said: 'Give glad tidings to the hoarders of treasures that they will have branding on their backs, appearing from their sides, and branding on their foreheads, coming out from their backs.'" In another narration,"
-
"The hadith "Islam is built on five" is reported by both Bukhari and Muslim, based on the narration of Ibn Umar. Chapter: The Types of Zakat and the Reasons for Their Obligation Zakat is categorized into six types: Zakat on livestock, Zakat on gold and silver, Zakat on trade, Zakat on buried wealth and minerals, Zakat on agricultural produce, and Zakat al-Fitr."
-
"Chapter One: The Types of Zakat and the Reasons for Their Obligation Zakat, in its various applications, is divided into six types: Zakat on livestock, gold and silver, trade, buried wealth and minerals, agricultural produce, and Zakat al-Fitr. Type One: Zakat on Livestock This zakat, like others, is obligatory only upon a free Muslim."
-
"As for the wealth itself, it has five conditions: it must be livestock, freely grazing, have completed a year, be fully owned, and reach the nisab, which is the minimum amount liable to zakat. The first condition is livestock, meaning there is no zakat except on camels, cattle, and sheep. Horses, mules, donkeys, and animals born from wild and domesticated animals are exempt from zakat."
13th–14th century · Damascus, Syria
Siyar Aʿlām al-Nubalāʾ — the monumental biographical dictionary of Islamic scholarship, from the companions of the Prophet ﷺ through al-Dhahabī's own era. A working-scholar reference used for seven centuries.
More on Imam al-Dhahabī →
· Provenance →
-
"would delay me for a brief term so I could give charity and be among the righteous when asked what necessitates zakat he replied when wealth reaches 200 dirhams zakat becomes obligatory on it and when asked what necessitates hajj he said provision and a means of transportation zakat is not obligatory on permissible jewelry if it is intended for use but if it is intended for trade or rental zakat becomes obligatory on it as well as on the value of trade goods Abu Huraira may Allah be pleased with him narrated that the messenger of Allah peace be upon him said whoever Allah has given wealth and he does not pay it"
-
"him said I never missed the Isha prayer in congregation one night a guest came to me and I was preoccupied with him and I missed the prayer chapter the fifth major sin withholding zakat withholding zakat the obligatory charitable giving prescribed in Islam is a grave sin with significant consequences Allah has made it clear in the Quran that giving zakat is a fundamental duty for every Muslim who possesses wealth above a certain threshold by withholding this charity one not only deprives the needy of essential support but also incurs the displeasure of Allah the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him emphasized"
-
"one not only deprives the needy of essential support but also incurs the displeasure of Allah the Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him emphasized the importance of zakat in his teachings he said the difference between a believer and a disbeliever is the abandonment of prayer and the difference between a believer and a hypocrite is the abandonment of zakat this highlights the critical role that zakat plays in the life of a Muslim serving as a means of purification for one's wealth and a way to assist those in need moreover the Quran warns against the consequences of failing to fulfill this obligation Allah"
14th century · Bosra, Syria
Monumental history Al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, the world's most widely read Qurʾanic commentary, and the classical Stories of the Prophets.
More on Ibn Kathir →
· Provenance →
-
"a hobbling cord — that they used to render to the Messenger of God, God's peace and blessings be upon him, I will surely fight them for withholding it. Zakat is the due of wealth. By God, I will fight whoever separates prayer from zakat. Umar said: It was nothing other than that I saw God had opened Abu Bakr's breast to fighting, and I knew that it was the truth. I say: God Most High has said, "If they repent and establish the prayer and pay the zakat, then let them go their way." And it is firmly established in the two Sahih collections:"
14th century · Damascus, Syria
Madārij al-Sālikīn — the classical map of the spiritual journey — and a vast body of work on the soul, love, the traps of the ego, and the nature of the heart.
More on Ibn al-Qayyim →
· Provenance →
-
"of someone neglecting it from a distant place. The obligation on the former is greater than on the latter. Similarly, if a man possesses two hundred dirhams and withholds their zakat, and another possesses two hundred million and withholds their zakat, they are equal in withholding what is obligatory on each of them. It is conceivable for them to be equal in punishment, since each persists in withholding the zakat of his wealth, whether it is little or much."
11th–12th century · Ṭūs, Khurāsān
Reviving the inner life of Islam through the Iḥyāʾ ʿUlūm al-Dīn — one of the most influential works ever written in any religious tradition.
More on Imam al-Ghazali →
· Provenance →
-
"Matters like humility and presence of heart, which benefit the Hereafter, are outside the jurist's field. Concerning zakat, the jurist considers what fulfills the state's demands. If someone refuses to pay and the ruler collects it forcibly, the jurist rules the individual's liability is cleared. It is narrated that Abu Yusuf, the judge, would gift his wealth to his wife at the end of the zakat year, and she would gift it back, thus avoiding zakat."
Want a different angle?
Type your question below — the answer is built from the same sources, and cited.