16 Facts About Zakat

Zakat is a form of almsgiving, often collected by the Muslim Ummah.

Zakat is considered a way to purify one's income and wealth from sometimes worldly, impure ways of acquisition.

Zakat is found in the early Medinan suras and described as obligatory for Muslims.

Zakat is considered part of the covenant between God and a Muslim.

Zakat is additionally payable on agricultural goods, precious metals, minerals, and livestock at a rate varying between 2.

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Zakat is usually payable on assets continuously owned over one lunar year that are in excess of the nisab, a minimum monetary value.

Some classical and contemporary scholars such as Ishaq Ibn Rahwayh and Yusuf al-Qaradawi have stated that the person who fails to pay Zakat should have the payment taken from them, along with half of his wealth.

Zakat is considered by Muslims to be an act of piety through which one expresses concern for the well-being of fellow Muslims, as well as preserving social harmony between the wealthy and the poor.

Zakat promotes a more equitable redistribution of wealth and fosters a sense of solidarity amongst members of the Ummah.

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam, and in various Islamic polities of the past was expected to be paid by all practising Muslims who have the financial means .

Today, in most Muslim countries, Zakat is at the discretion of Muslims over how and whether to pay, typically enforced by fear of God, peer pressure and an individual's personal feelings.

States where Zakat is compulsory differ in their definition of the base for zakat computation.

Zakat is generally levied on livestock and agricultural produce, although the types of taxable livestock and produce differ from country to country.

Zakat is imposed on cash and precious metals in four countries with different methods of assessment.

Zakat has so far failed to relieve large scale absolute poverty among Muslims in most Muslim countries.

Zakat al-Fitr is a fixed amount assessed per person, while Zakat al mal is based on personal income and property.