“The example of those who spend their wealth in the way of Allah (swt) is like a seed of grain which grows seven spikes; in each spike is a hundred grains.”(The Holy Qur’an, 2:261)
Zakat
Zakat is an act of worship we perform with the wealth Allah has blessed us with. It is a religious duty which cleans away impurities from our provision and ensures excess wealth is distributed among those in need. Zakat is an obligation upon any Muslim who has reached puberty, is sane, and has above the minimum required amount of wealth (Nisab).
It requires giving a calculated amount (usually 2.5%) to the poor and needy. The more Zakat that is paid, the more beneficial it is to the poor and needy. First of all you’ll need to work out whether you’re obligated to pay Zakat by looking at whether what you own meets the Nisab. The value of the Nisab in prophetic tradition is 87.48 grams of pure gold or 612.36 grams of pure silver so the monetary value of the Nisab will vary according to current prices. Due to the significant difference in the cost of gold and silver, the Nisab for silver is now much lower. Although both values can be used, many scholars advise that we apply the Nisab of silver when calculating our Zakat so more of us are eligible to pay it.
Zakat should be calculated and paid on any surplus wealth that you have owned for at least one lunar year.
This Include
- Gold, silver, precious metal, including ornaments/jewellery containing gold/silver
- Stocks and shares
- Money you have lent to others
- Cash in bank accounts, committees or at home
- Any business stock
- Pensions
- Property you own for investment purposes
The easiest way to calculate your Zakat is to find out the monetary value of each type of wealth and then work out 2.5% of the total sum. Zakat is the third pillar of Islam; the compulsory donation of a proportion of your wealth to the poor (2.5%) in order to cleanse your income and live a good and responsible life.
Zakat-ul-Fitr: Every Muslim is required to pay Zakat-ul-Fitr (Fitra) during the month of Ramadan as a token of thankfulness to Allah for having enabled him to observe fasts. Its purpose is to purify those who fast from any indecent act or speech and to help the poor and needy. Zakat-ul-Fitr is incumbent on every free Muslim who possesses one Saa` of dates or barley which is not needed as basic food for himself or his family for the duration of one day and night. Every free Muslim must pay Zakat-ul-Fitr for himself, his wife, and children. It should be paid before Salaat-ul-Eid. It can also be paid weeks in advance so that it could reach the poor and needy.
While the month of Ramadan is filled with blessings, it can present challenges to the needy. They can face malnutrition, anxiety and even depression if they do not have the basic foods needed to survive. Those who can afford should take care of deserving people in this holy month of Ramadan and seek immense blessings of Allah not only in this world but also in hereafter.
Zayd ibn Khaalid al-Juhani (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said:
“Whoever gives iftaar to one who is fasting will have a reward like his, without that detracting from the fasting person’s reward in the slightest.”
Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health, and well-being of himself and his family. The Preamble to the World Health Organisation’s (WHO) constitution also declares that it is one of the fundamental rights of every human being to enjoy:
“The highest attainable standard of health”
Unfortunately the sad reality is that there are millions of people on the earth we all share who do NOT have access to basic health care, generally as a result of poor financial conditions.
Ramadan is the 9th month in the Islamic calendar. This is a month in which, billions of Muslims around the world try to become closer to their Lord, Allah SWT, closer to heaven and closer to their main aim in life which is to serve their creator through the service of those less fortunate.
In light of this, Muslims across the globe work harder than ever before in aiding charitable causes by giving their Zakat, Sadaqa, Fidia, Zakat Ul Fitr, Kafara, Lila and other forms of charity prescribed by the Islamic faith for various reasons but all with the aim of making the world a better place for everyone. Subsequently, it is during this blessed month of Ramadan that the lives of so many forgotten communities, children in need, people with disabilities, the elderly and the vulnerable are changed forever. What’s amazing is a single charitable donation that many of us give on instinct during this blessed month is that donation a needy person required to save their life, change their future and to restore hope for a better tomorrow back in to their heart. This is a small donation we will most certainly forget we gave, however, the person who received it will never forget your noble actions.
Over the period of last few years, there has been a great growth in ecommerce, positioning itself as a very important part of business at the international level and growing increasingly and gaining customer confidence. However, there is a portion of the ecommerce that is struggling to grow in the world of online business; we are talking about the CHARITY sector.
It is difficult for an online charity site to encourage people to give donations because the donors do not take anything physical in return, not even a ticket, a decal or anything like that. What they receive is; just a thank-you e-mail for contributing to the cause for which they donated.
Many charitable donation sites are using this model because it is much more satisfying for the donor to have made a donation of money so that it feels like giving a gift, rather than feeling that it is depositing that money to a simple container. One of the most popular examples of this is the ” buy a goat ” or buy a cow, used on the Oxfam unwrapped site, in which they pass the donation as a gift for a rural community in Africa.
Many of the charitable sites also sell physical products in exchange for donations that function as a source of income, give image and publicity to the mission of charity, and give the donor experience to obtain something in return for their contribution. Some of the products that are usually sold on these sites are shirts, mugs, earrings, bracelets, among others
You can customize the email the donor receives with history about the impact experience your donation has for the charity you are contributing to, and in many creative ways you can wrap the donor even more with the cause and making your donation more important.
When faced with cancer, everyone deserves a fair fight. Yet, most cancer patients in Pakistan neither have the means nor the support system to give them a fighting chance. By donating to IKCA, you’re helping us ensure that they do. Please help keep the hope alive.
Fighting cancer costs a lot. And in a country where 65 million live below the poverty line, most cancer patients in Pakistan neither have the means nor the support system to give them a fighting chance. At Imran Khan Cancer Appeal (IKCA), they help some of the world’s poorest beat cancer and take back control of their lives. They offer comprehensive cancer care free of charge, in hospitals which house all the specialized diagnostic and therapeutic facilities under a single roof.
Are you ready to reap the blessings and Baraka of Ramadan 2017? Here’s a checklist of Ramadan ‘to do’s to help you make the most of every last hour of the holy month.
Not everyone can perform a khatam – complete reading of the Qur’an in the month of Ramadan. But even slow Arabic readers can dedicate a couple of hours each night to read more than usual. If you can’t read in Arabic, read the transliteration and translation. Download it onto your smart phone or mp3 player, and listen to it on your commute to work. The Prophet (SAW) said:
“The fast and the Qur’an are two intercessors for the servant of Allah on the Day of Resurrection. The fast will say: ‘O Lord, I prevented him from his food and desires during the day. Let me intercede for him.’ The Qur’an will say: ‘I prevented him from sleeping at night. Let me intercede for him.’ And their intercession will be accepted.” – Imam Ahmad”
Salawat is the invocation of peace and blessings upon the Prophet Muhammad (SAW). There are numerous hadith about the benefits of reciting Salawat, while its importance is highlighted in the Holy Qur’an as follows:
Verily, God and His angels bless the Prophet: “[hence,] O you who have attained to faith, bless him and give yourselves up [to his guidance] in utter self-surrender! –Holy Qur’an 33:56”
Charity is not just recommended by Islam, it is required of every financially stable Muslim. Giving charity to those who deserve it is part of Muslim character and one of the Five Pillars of Islamic practice. Zakat is viewed as “compulsory charity”; it is an obligation for those who have received their wealth from God to respond to those members of the community in need. Devoid of sentiments of universal love, some people know only to hoard wealth and to add to it by lending it out on interest. Islam’s teachings are the very antithesis of this attitude. Islam encourages the sharing of wealth with others and helps people to stand on their own and become productive members of the society.
At Transparent Hands, we love the month of Ramadan as it gives us a unique opportunity to make such a huge difference in the lives of the poorest community of Pakistan. It was during the blessed month of Ramadan last year, we were able to complete our task of raising enough funds for the surgical treatment of hundreds of deserving people of Pakistan who were suffering from various diseases and required surgeries. We know, with your support we can do much more in this Ramadan and beyond.
All of our campaigns and associated projects at Transparent Hands, are Zakat applicable as they help the poor and needy. Love of wealth is natural and it takes firm belief in Allah for a person to part with some of his wealth. However, Muslims firmly believe that when they give to help those less fortunate, Allah SWT will give back to them many fold in this life and the hereafter.
As a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on public donations to help under-privileged children, men and women who come from low-income families. Hence, we welcome donations from anyone who wishes to contribute to these poor patients who cannot afford to pay for their surgical treatment.
Give your zakat and save a life with Transparent Hands.
Zakat FAQ
Zakat is an obligatory amount that every Muslim has to pay on his wealth. It is the third most important pillar of Islam which we Muslims must follow in order to help the poor and needy.
Every Muslim who has reached puberty and has necessary means (money and goods) which are more than his debts, is obliged to give Zakat.
These are the things on which every Muslim is obliged to pay zakat: Gold, silver, cash (savings/reserves), property (other than residential use), business merchandise, stocks, livestock, precious metals or minerals, mutual funds and agriculture produce.
You are not obliged to pay zakat on the items of personal use which includes; food, clothing, shelter, house (where you are living), car, cash which doesn’t reach the nisab amount and any property that is not being used for business purposes.
Nisab is the minimum threshold amount that every Muslim must possess before paying zakat. Nisab determines whether that person is liable to pay zakat or not.
If your wealth is above the nisab after one year passes, then the rate of zakat advised by Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) is 2.5%. You can calculate it by adding up your zakatable assets/wealth and deducting loan amount if any.
You should wait for one year to pass for the money and goods to be equal to nisab amount on which zakat is determined. However, you can also pay zakat before its due time. For the zakat which was not given in its due time, you can pay it at once to any needy person.
Yes, you can give it in installments or all at once. The thing that matters the most is, you are giving zakat which is obligatory on every Muslim who have necessary means to pay the zakat amount.
No, there is no defined time to give your zakat. You can pay it when it becomes obligatory on you. You don’t have to wait for Ramadan or any specific month to give zakat. If your assets/wealth reaches the nisab amount and stays above it for one year, that’s when you are obliged to pay zakat.
If you want to give zakat of your animals, then you can either give some of your animals or its equivalent as your zakat amount. However, you must give whichever can be useful for the poor and needy to whom you intend to give your zakat.
Goods that are sold and bought in order to make profit are tradable goods. If anyone has tradable goods whose value is equal to 80.18 grams of gold is entitled to give 2.5% zakat on the total value.
If the jewelry (silver and gold) is equal to the amount of nisab, then it is necessary for a woman to pay zakat for them.
Anyone who is a partner of a company is entitled to pay zakat on the amount of shares he has with the company if that’s equivalent to the nisab after one year of obtaining them.
A person, who has invested in the shares which are sold and bought in stock exchange, is entitled to pay zakat if the value of share is equal or more than the nisab after one year of obtaining them.
Yes, you are obliged to pay zakat on the money you saved for Hajj or Umrah provided you have kept this money for one year and it is above the Nisab threshold.
There are specific people to whom zakat can be given. Quran has stated about them; “The alms are only for the Fuqara’ (the poor), and Al-Masakin (the needy) and those employed to collect (the funds); and to attract the hearts of those who have been inclined (towards Islam); and to free the captives; and for those in debt; and for Allah’s Cause, and for the wayfarer (a traveller who is cut off from everything); a duty imposed by Allah. And Allah is All-Knower, All-Wise.” [Al-Quran 9:60]”
Zakat cannot be given to your father, mother, grandparents, son, daughter, children of son or daughter and their grandchildren. Apart from that, zakat should not be given to the people or institutes other than those mentioned in the Quran.
There is no restriction in giving zakat and fitrah to the charitable institutions who collect this money and give to the deserving people mentioned in Quran.
It’s clearly mentioned in Quran about the people to whom zakat can be given. If someone is earning salary or wage that is not enough to meet his basic necessities and he doesn’t have any other assets then that person can be given zakat.
If a person who is living with his father but own a property himself is entitled to pay zakat. However, if he is earning together with his father and has a joint property with him, then anyone who has authority to use the money has to pay obligatory zakat amount.
If they are deserving and have no other means of earning, then they can be given zakat.
If the son in law is poor, then zakat can be given to him as he has to take care of his wife and kids. However, it is not preferred to give zakat to daughter in law as it will be like giving zakat indirectly to own son.
The person who is willing to pay zakat should first search about the person to whom he is giving zakat to; whether he/she is eligible to receive zakat or not. After searching, if that person still turns out to be rich after receiving zakat, then in this case zakat is valid. On the other hand, if anyone pays zakat without searching properly then the zakat will not be valid if the he finds out later that the man is rich.
Since you don’t have blood relation with your mother-in-law and father-in-law, you can give zakat to them if they are poor.
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