What is Zakat in Islam ?

What is Zakat?

Zakat is one of the five pillars of Islam. According to the followers of Islam, when Prophet Muhammad went to Medina in 622 AD and he started the Islamic nation system, then the Zakat system was also started in that country.

But there are different types of questions regarding how and how much zakat i.e. charity should be given.

Islamic thinkers say that the Qur'an, the holy scripture of Muslims, has given guidelines regarding Zakat. Nevertheless, it is necessary to know the provisions of the Qur'an for its detailed interpretation.

Mufti Muhammad Abdullah of the Islamic Foundation says that in order to get answers to questions related to Zakat, various aspects have to be taken into account.

Nevertheless, various questions arise in the minds of many people regarding the judgment of the doomsday and zakat, such as how much should be paid for zakat (charity), how to pay it. There are also important questions to decide.

As everyone knows, the aggregate value of gold ornaments and cash, other than share certificates, prize bonds and all such other documents of financial value, etc., held for more than one year, if the amount of nisab (property) is equivalent to paying Zakat and If they have been above one year, then according to Islamic law, it is mandatory for a person to pay zakat.

But in which cases Zakat should be paid and in which one should not? Who can take Zakat from you? What is said about government management? 

Know questions related to Zakat and their answers:

1. If someone takes a loan from the bank, will he have to pay zakat?

Mufti Mohammad Abdullah says that if you take a personal loan from a bank, then Zakat will be applicable on the balance amount except the amount equal to the instalment for the next one year.

If it is kept like this by not investing money in business, even then Zakat will be applicable on it. But if someone's debt is so much that after relinquishing it, he does not have the amount of Zakat commensurate with the amount of Nisab, then Zakat is not obligatory on him.

2. What kind of property is Zakat applicable to?

Mohammad Abdullah said that Zakat will also have to be paid on land, flats or farms kept for commercial purposes. But zakat will not have to be paid on the land kept for building a house.

If anyone keeps a flat for his child or for such use, then zakat will not be applicable to him also.

If someone has a shop, then Zakat will have to be paid on the goods kept there, but Zakat will not be applicable on the building or land of the shop.

Many feel that only if they or their family has gold and silver jewellery, precious gems or such things, they will have to pay zakat.

Mohammed Harunur Rashid, director of the Islamic Foundation's Zakat Fund, says that is not the case.

He says, “Cash in hand, share certificates, prize bonds and certificates, gold-silver, precious metals and gold-silver jewellery, commercial property and profits from industrial trade, crops produced, livestock wealth — more than 40 Sheep or goat and cow above 30, buffalo and other cattle, minerals, provident fund – all these will also have to pay zakat, but all this will also be according to the amount of nisab.

3. Will donations given to charitable institutions be treated as Zakat?

Mufti Mohammad Abdullah says that giving zakat is holy, for this it is necessary that the recipient of zakat should be made the owner of that money. By doing so, he can use it according to his need or independently.

He said, “If you give money to the organization, then no poor or needy person will have the right to spend it. The owner of that money will not be poor or needy. So it is better to give cash only as zakat. "

4. Who will pay Zakat on the gold ornaments of the wife?

Abdullah said that the zakat of the wife and daughter is also the responsibility of the husband or the father.

But suppose a man's wife has 11.66 grams of gold but no cash. In such a situation, how can he pay zakat even by selling gold or some part of it?

This Zakat can also be paid by the husband, but it cannot be taken as a loan.

He said that gold ornaments mean gold and silver. "However, it is not clear what will happen in the case of diamonds, gems or any other jewellery. However, if these are goods brought for business, then zakat will have to be paid on them," he said.

5. Can Zakat be given by clothes?

Mufti Abdullah said, "That is true, but still not good." Giving the reason for this, they say, for whom it is better to give zakat by giving that which is necessary.

He said, "Maybe someone needs food, not clothes. Someone else may need cash. Considering all this, one should help by giving what is needed." . And if this is not possible then it is better to give cash.

6. What is Nisab?

Nisab is an Islamic word. It means that after fulfilling the daily needs and excluding the things of daily necessity, if one owns 52.2 weighed of silver or 7.5 weighed of gold or any commercial article of its equivalent, then it is said to be the Nisab of Zakat.

According to the rules of religion, if a person has a property equal to the amount of Nisab for more than one year, then he will have to pay Zakat.

Suppose a person has a little more gold than 7.5 tola. If assume that he can sell that gold in the market for Rs 4 lakh. So this is the amount of Nisab magnitude. Now he will have to pay zakat amount of ten thousand rupees at the rate of 2.5 percent for this Nisab.

7. Who can get Zakat?

Zakat can be given only to Muslims. Among the Muslims who received it are:

• Poor helpless Muslim

• indebted person

• Jihadis and passengers

• Poor Worshiper

• poor helpless relative

• People who adopt Muslim religion