What is Zakat?

One of the Five Pillars of Islam and officially meaning of Zakat “that which purifies”.

Zakat is an obligatory payment that carries its own set of expectations and requirements.

One of which is that you must hold enough wealth to meet the Nisab threshold.

The minimum amount of Zakat you must give is 2.5% but there is no upper limit and only a specific group of people can receive Zakat contributions, given in the Qu’ran as;

-The poor
-The hungry
-Those responsible for distributing zakat
-Those in captivity and slavery
-Those living with unmanageable debt
-Those who fight in the name of Allah
-Stranded or struggling travellers
-New Muslims and friends of Muslim communities

Zakat must be given annually, as long as you have held wealth exceeding the Nisab threshold for the previous Islamic calendar year and when you choose to give it is up to you.

Zakat is intended to strengthen the Muslim community, the Ummah, by redistributing wealth to the poorest of our society and ensuring they get the resources they need to live.

What is Sadaqah?

Sadaqah is any voluntary act of righteousness or kindness that is made with no expectation for anything in return. There is no minimum amount of Sadaqah that must be given and no requirement to give regularly.

Sadaqah can be split into two further acts of kindness, Sadaqah itself which is considered a short-term gesture and Sadaqah Jariyah, which is a gesture that gives long-term.

There is no requirement to what you need to do to fulfil Sadaqah and something as simple as sharing your knowledge in Islam can be a gesture that continues to give.