The literal, or denotative, definition of the word ‘zakât’ (sometimes spelled ‘zakâh’) is “increase,” as in growth (namâ). The word also connotes “blessings” (barakah), “purification” (tahârah), or “commendation” (mad^).

In America, for example, the government levies an (increasingly disputed) income tax on individual earnings even before the earner, or his or her family, is provided for out of those wages. The sums can be staggering, as much as 50 percent. Many observant Christians are required to pay a “tithe” (a word that means literally a “tenth”), thus not less than 10 percent of their overall annual income. The Zakât-Charity is, for the most part, a 2.5 percent payment only on one’s “disposable” income and property—after one fulfills all one’s other financial obligations in a single lunar year. (Zakât on some kinds of wealth can go up to 20 percent, but this is a limited exception). The point is that Zakât is paid on one’s “remaining wealth, not “total” income or holdings. The wealth one uses for daily living—for food, housing, transportation, etc.— is exempt. That is, while taxes in America are paid on your full income before you even fulfill your vital needs, Zakât is paid only on the wealt

In Islam, every able-bodied man is ordered to work to fulfill his own needs and his family’s. In the event that one is not able to work, then one’s wealthier relatives—beginning from one’s nearest kin and moving outward—are responsible for one’s support. Charity is the substance that binds every Muslim to every other by way of their obligation to one another in God. Islam builds its community out of human obligation toward each other, making each Muslim accountable for the wellbeing of every other Muslim. This concept of reciprocal social obligation is called takâful, meaning “mutual responsibility,” and it is strongly bolstered by the fact that the ZakâtCharity is an act of mandatory worship. The tenet of mutual responsibility helps Muslims envision their society like an extended family. Again, the Zakât-Charity is obligatory not optional, worship not a tax.

The term ‘zakatable’ is a special word that Muslims who speak English have coined denoting “wealth and property that one must rightfully pay Zakât on.” Its negation is the term ‘non-zakatable,’ which indicates wealth and property that is not rightfully subject to the sacred alms of Zakât-Charity.

1. All possessions can be classified into either Zakatable or Non-zakatable wealth. For the purpose of Zakât calculation, Muslim scholars have established five categories of zakatable wealth:
   1. 1. Personal Zakatable Wealth: This includes money on hand and in bank accounts, stocks, and money held in retirement and pension accounts.
   2. 2. Business Zakatable Wealth: This is further classified in two categories:
      a. Trading goods that include business lists of goods in stock. 
      b. Exploited assets such as rented properties and factories.
   3. 3. Agricultural Produce: This, too, is further classified in two categories: a. Crops from irrigated land, wherein the irrigation system entails costs and labor. b. Crops from non-irrigated land watered by rain or natural springs.
   4. 4. Livestock: Animals raised for commercial purposes— primarily sheep, goats, cows, and buffaloes.
   5. 5. Treasure Troves (rikâz): This includes valuables that people have buried and l

1. In general, Zakât is calculated on personal net worth, excluding properties and items for personal, family, and commercial use. Public properties are also non-zakatable. Below is a partial list of wealth that is Zakât-exempt: 
   1. Property for Personal, Family, and Commercial Use This category contains seven primary kinds of wealth: 
      1. Food: As stored for consumption by an individual or family.
      2. Clothing: All personal and family apparel. 
      3. Residence: The domicile owned and occupied by the owner, including furnishings, utensils, and apparatus used for basic needs and necessity. 
      4. Transportation: The means of personal and family transport, such as vehicles used by an owner and family members. 
      5. Domestic Animals and Poultry: If used for household food and needs, one may own kinds and quantities in this category as follows (Note: the following numbers of animals for personal use and consumption are based on one Zakât pay

1. Zakât falls due when three conditions converge in a person and his wealth: 
   1. One is a Muslim. Note, The wealth of non-Muslims, even if they are citizens of an Islamic polity, is not subject to the Zakât-Charity because Zakât is, first and foremost, an obligatory Pillar of worship, and Islam famously forbids any compulsion when it comes to acceptance of it as one’s religion. 
   2. One’s zakatable wealth rises to a minimum threshold (ni|âb). Ni|âb is calculated on a possession that remains with one on a zakatable category of wealth after one fulfills all basic living expenses for an entire lunar year. This excludes all existing necessities, such as one’s residence, vehicle, stored food, clothes, and furniture. So if someone makes a large sum of money and spends it all on basic needs—without unnecessary luxury—no Zakât is due at the end of the lunar year. If, however, he or she saved part of that money in that lunar year, then Zakât is payable on that remaining

1. No. Zakât is due only on zakatable wealth that reaches an established minimum threshold for that particular kind of wealth. That threshold is called ni|âb, literally, ‘origin,’ or ‘beginning,’ for it is the amount wherein the poor’s right in one’s wealth commences. Different types of assets have different thresholds. For example, the ni|âb on money is 85 grams of gold (approx. 3 OZ US; 2.74 TROY OZ). The ni|âb on cows is 30 cows. The ni|âb on grain is 653 kilograms (Zakât Calculation, 46). If the quantity of the zakatable possession is less than its prescribed ni|âb, it is exempted from Zakât. 
2. The table below illustrates the ni|âb and Zakât rates, for each category of zakatable wealth. 
   1. Table of Ni|âb and Zakât Rates