Zakat and caring for others
Islamic Studies · Key Stage 2 · The School
A calculation, not a mood
Zakat is 2.5% of qualifying wealth — savings, gold, silver, trade goods — held above a threshold (the NISAB) for one lunar year. It is deliberately arithmetic: the giver cannot talk themselves down, and the poor are not left depending on how generous someone feels this month.
Who receives it
The Quran names eight categories (9:60), the poor and the needy first, and also those in debt, travellers stranded, and those working to collect and distribute it. A named list means zakat cannot be quietly redirected to whatever a giver prefers.
Zakat and sadaqah
ZAKAT is obligatory, calculated, annual, and limited to those categories. SADAQAH is voluntary charity — any amount, any time, to anyone in need, and it includes non-money kindness: the Prophet ﷺ counted a smile, removing something harmful from a path, and helping someone lift a load.
A woman has held £8,000 in savings for a full lunar year, above the nisab threshold. The rate on cash and gold is 2.5%, so 8,000 × 0.025 = £200. Note what makes it due: the AMOUNT, held for a YEAR, above a threshold. Now compare with sadaqah — any amount, any time, no threshold, no calculation, entirely voluntary. Zakat is a due; sadaqah is a gift.