Zakat is the third pillar of Islam. It is not an optional charity: it is the right of the poor over the wealth of those who have enough.
خُذْ مِنْ أَمْوَالِهِمْ صَدَقَةً تُطَهِّرُهُمْ وَتُزَكِّيهِم بِهَا
« Take from their wealth a charity by which you purify them. » (meaning of the verse, At-Tawba 9:103)
When the Prophet ﷺ sent Mu'adh to Yemen, he told him to teach that zakat is « taken from their wealthy and returned to their poor » (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1395).
Three conditions
- Reaching the threshold (nisab). It is set by the Sunna at 20 dinars of gold or 200 dirhams of silver (Sunan Abi Dawud, no. 1573), which is roughly 85 g of gold or 595 g of silver.
- Keep this amount for one lunar year (about 354 days).
- Being fully the owner of this property.
On what
For money and savings, add up:
- cash, bank accounts, mobile money;
- goods bought to resell (at their current selling price);
- sums owed to you that you are sure to recover;
then subtract the debts payable now.
Gold or silver worn as jewelry, livestock and harvests follow other rules: ask your imam.
How much
One fortieth, i.e. 2.5% of the total, if the threshold is reached.
Example. Awa, in Abidjan, has had 2,500,000 FCFA in savings for a year, and owes 300,000 FCFA to a supplier. Base: 2,200,000 FCFA, above the Ivorian threshold of 1,065,050 FCFA. Her zakat is 55,000 FCFA.
Gold or silver?
The threshold for gold is much higher than that for silver. Many scholars adopt silver for savings, as it is more favorable to the poor; others use gold.
In Côte d'Ivoire, the question is settled each year : the Collège des oulémas of the Fondation Zakat Waqf has set the nisab at 1,065,050 FCFA for 1447-1448 H, based on silver. See zakat in Côte d'Ivoire.
Calculate step by step
1. Choose your zakat date : the day your savings reached the threshold, then every lunar year (many choose the month of Ramadan). 2. On that date, add up what you own: cash, accounts, mobile money, savings, merchandise (at selling price), and sums owed to you that you will recover. 3. Subtract debts payable now (rent due, supplier, the month's due payment). 4. Compare with the threshold. If it is reached, the zakat is 2,5 % of the total.
| Element | Amount |
|---|---|
| Account and savings | 1,800,000 FCFA |
| Mobile money | 150,000 FCFA |
| Goods for sale | 600,000 FCFA |
| Sum lent to a cousin, secure | 200,000 FCFA |
| Less: debts to pay | − 300,000 FCFA |
| Base | 2,450,000 FCFA |
| Zakat (2.5%) | 61,250 FCFA |
Who to give it to
إِنَّمَا الصَّدَقَاتُ لِلْفُقَرَاءِ وَالْمَسَاكِينِ وَالْعَامِلِينَ عَلَيْهَا وَالْمُؤَلَّفَةِ قُلُوبُهُمْ وَفِي الرِّقَابِ وَالْغَارِمِينَ وَفِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَابْنِ السَّبِيلِ
"Alms are only for the poor, the needy, those who work to collect them, those whose hearts are to be reconciled, for freeing slaves, for those burdened with debt, in the cause of Allah, and for the wayfarer in need." (meaning of the verse, At-Tawba 9:60)
One usually starts with relatives in need who are not under one's responsibility (brother, sister, uncle). One does not give one's zakat to those one is already responsible for: one's parents, children, spouse.
Zakat al-fitr, not to be confused with
At the end of Ramadan, every Muslim also gives zakat al-fitr, one sa' of food per person in his household, before the Eid prayer (Sahih al-Bukhari, no. 1503). It has nothing to do with the savings threshold: it is due by everyone who has enough to eat that day.
Calculate yours
On Dalil, write zakat : the thresholds are calculated based on today's gold and silver prices, in FCFA, and your amount is never recorded.