Topic

Zakat & Charity

Zakat, sadaqah and giving to charity. Short, honest answers for new Muslims.

Does zakat purify my wealth?

Yes, zakat purifies your wealth and heart and brings blessing to what remains, but it does not make interest or other haram income clean.

Yes, you can give zakat to a stranded traveler (ibn as-sabil), even one who is rich at home. Who qualifies, how much to give, and how to avoid scams.

No, you can't give zakat to your own children or grandchildren, since supporting them is your duty. Spending on them and sadaqah are still rewarded.

Usually no: past gifts can't become zakat after the fact, because the intention must come first. See the Hanafi exception and what to do now.

Zakat on a rental security deposit: tenants usually include it as money owed to them; landlords don't, since it's a trust they must return.

Khums means one-fifth (20%), from Quran 8:41. Sunnis apply it to war spoils and buried treasure; Shia Muslims also pay it on yearly surplus income.

Yes, you need a niyyah for zakat to count, but it's in your heart and needs no words. Learn when to make it and whether to tell the recipient.

Most scholars say you can give all your zakat to one person or spread it among many. See the Shafi'i view and when each choice works best.

Zakat on crops (ushr) is 10% of a rain-fed harvest or 5% if irrigated at a cost, paid at harvest once it reaches about 650 kg. Here's how it works.

Not paying zakat when due is a major sin, and it stays owed until paid. See the Quran and hadith warnings and how to repent and make it up.

Yes, you can give zakat to Muslim refugees in need: they often count as poor, needy, debtors or stranded travellers. Non-Muslims can get sadaqah.

Zakat on an inheritance isn't due right away: most scholars start its zakat year when you receive it; Hanafis add it to your usual zakat date.