Muslims: Can you tell me about 'Zakat' of the Salary?

Question

For General info for all:- Zakāt (Arabic: زكاة) is the Islamic concept of tithing and alms. It is an obligation on Muslims to pay 2.5% of their wealth to specified categories in society when their annual wealth exceeds a minimum level (nisab). Zakāt is one of the Five Pillars of Islam.

What is the minimum level (nisab) for the Salary? How do we calculate it?

To the 'King. Leona..' below: I currently live in Saudi Arabia and I did see millions of $ being collected for the victims of Tsunami in Sauth Asia who were of all classes of people. A telethon campaign was organised by Saudi state TV.

Lawrance of Arabia: Thanks for a good answer and I am enjoying your debate with 'king....'

Actually I meant annual savings from the salary.

Answer 1

There is no Zakat on the salary.

Zakat is exactly what you said; 2.5% of the annual savings that are not intended to be used for anything like "doing a surgery, helping your boy\ Girl to marry, etc.." It's the annual excess that you're saving to increase your wealth or for "just in case".

However, you may pay charity from your salary "Sadaqa", and such charity don't have a Nisab at all. Such kind of charity - Like Zakat - is better to be directed to your relatives.

Edit:

To Leonidas, and the brave 300: We are ordered to pay charity in dark.. secretly, so as not to hurt the feelings of the poor who recieves it.. Zakat is paid in public sometimes to give an example to your children and brothers in Islam. despite of that, here's a Muslim association that collect Sadaqa and search for the poor and orphans to help them.. http://www.hrmla.com/forums/view.php?pg=jam3eah

Edit 2:

Leo; Hope this helps.. http://arabinfomall.bibalex.org/En/Index.aspx?orgid=182§ionid=1

It appears to me that you never heard about babelfish or google trabslation? You know what leonaidas? I'm Glad that the persians Killed you in the movie!!

Edit 3:

List of Islaic charity organizations, Leo, and next time we pay charity, we'll call you to come and watch us...
http://www.egyptgiftshop.com/islamic_charity_organizations.html

Edit 4:

You're a bigot Leo.. http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=AkAPVHEzGHTfmUC8kqM6E2Td7BR.?qid=20070725004038AARMEnI a racist as your answer in this link say.. You want to erase Muslims, destroy Iraq, conquer Afghanistan, and then, you want Muslims to come and pay charity to your country, right?

Edit 5:

You don't believe in any religion, then you find the guts to answer a question about a very specialized matter in Islam! Does this sound sane to you? What do you know about islam? Nothing actually...Who told you I believe in "superior Muslim and Inhuman filthy Kafir" only your mind, right?

"I laugh at Christians or any others" who thinks he's superior here?

King Lenaides.. You are wrong.. as usual...
"The very people who hate the cultural platform that generates altrustic giving" What's your book? what's your referrence???

Or is it Just the TV, Movies, A.. Ummm.. 300 Spartans.. Finding Nemo...?

Edit 6: Thanks Brother Ismail...

Answer 2

You see the main rule of the Zakat is that whichever wealth you've got that is not used for a whole year you need to pay zakat of 2.5% of it. Let's say you get your salary on a monthly basis and the lowest amount that your account has reached in a whole Hijri year was $100. Then you need to pay zakat of $2.5. As for the rest, you do not need to pay anything because your account has been moving. As for Jewellery, if not worn in a year, then the price of the gold at that time should be found out, and then wight the gold and see how much it will be as a 2.5% and then pay it off.

Answer 3

To the best of my knowledge the concept of Zakat is applicable to your annual savings (nisaab). What I do is that every year in Ramazan I check my bank account and estimate other assets (like gold etc). Do a simple subtraction of previous years no. and pay 2.5% of the balance amount as Zakat.

The minimum level of nisab has been defined as the amount (or asset) equal to approximately 600 gram gold. So anyone who has savings less that this amount is not required to pay zakat. It mean that the person is barely earning enough to make both ends meet. Anybody who has annual savings equal to this amount and above will give 2.5% of that amount as Zakat.

Answer 4

North America and many countries that have system of health care is Zakat as Allah SWT intended.
A community with a centre for children is Zakat
Even a smile can be charity, it don't always have to be money or materialistic goods, it can be effort or even a dua for someone.
There is many formats of Zakat (obligitory charity) and Sudica (Chairty) and also what Allah SWT describes as Goodness.
A women gave water to a near dead thirsty dog and saved its life... the women was a prostitute and for that one good deed of charity she is said to be going to receive the reward of Jannah..Heaven.... Allah Karim

Answer 5

Zakat is not on ur salary but the money saved from salary. If u spend all for necessities then no Zakat and if there remains then there is zakat 2 1/2%

Answer 6

There is no Zakaat on salary. Things subject to Zakaat are as follows:

1. Camels, cattle, sheep and goats;
2. Dates, raisins, and staple crops;
3. Gold, silver, the gold and silver ores, and the golden and silver treasure-troves (rikaz);
4. Trade articles;
5. Body (Zakaah of Fitr)
6. Saved money.

Answer 7

In the Name of Allah, Most Compassionate and Merciful

As-salamu 'alaykum.

Insha-Allah this reaches you in the best of 'afiya and iman.

The basic rulings of zakat are obligatory to know for everyone who possesses something on which zakat is due. It is unlawful for such a person not to know the rulings. To learn what is personally obligatory, one should sit with someone who has permission to teach a classical text of fiqh in one of the four schools of law that go back to the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace). If such a person is not available in one's location, then one should at least get a book that explains such things, such as Ahmad ibn Naqib al-Misri's "Reliance of the Traveler," in the Shafi'i school, which has been wonderfully translated by Nuh Keller. An alternative to sitting with a scholar face-to-face is interactive classes on-line at www.sunnipath.com who have extremely qualified teachers.

With this said, we can look at one's zakat that is separate from the zakat al-fitr due at the end of Ramadan to address your question.

Zakat is due on three basic types of property:

1. camels, cattle, and sheep or goats when one has possessed a zakat-payable number (nisab) of them for a full lunar year and has been grazing them on unowned open range for the entire year

2. on gold and silver (or their monetary equivalents) other than jewelry that is for permissible use, and on trade goods, when one has possessed a zakat-payable amount for one year. (Some further detail should be known about trade goods that I won't get into here.)

3. and on staple food crops, as soon as one possesses a zakat-payable amount of staple types that people cultivate, dry, and store.

Since you're asking about your salary, I won't go into detail regarding the first and third types, as one's salary would fall into the second category. I assume your salary is paid in normal currency. To be brief and practical, I advise you that the nisab is calculated using the market value of 592.9 grams of silver. (This should be used instead of the 84.7 grams of gold, as it's more beneficial for the poor.) Find the market price of silver and calculate how much 592.9 grams is worth. This is the nisab in your money. (You'll find that it's not very much money, so it's likely that you have it.)

Understand that zakat is due on this type of property every lunar year. One may want to pay it during Ramadan, when our good deeds are multiplied, as is the practice of many Muslims. This also helps you keep track of when you paid it.

A practical point -- Zakat is due on your salary that you've possessed for one year, yet you likely get paid each month. Therefore, in order to avoid the difficulty in having to pay zakat every single month, one may pay the zakat in advance up to a year. This allows you to pay it only once a year. Keep in mind that a recipient of zakat in advance must still be eligible to receive zakat when the zakat is actually due. Otherwise, the zakat must be returned and redistributed. One should inform such a person upon giving them zakat that this is zakat paid in advance and make sure they understand this and what it entails.

What I've mentioned has been detailed by Imam Nawawi in his "Al-Maqasid" and elsewhere and is the relied upon position of the Shafi'i school. And Allah Most High knows best. And all praise is due to Allah, Lord of all the worlds.

Was-salaam.

Answer 8

Zakat(poor-due), Is a specified rate given to help poor Muslims.
Funds and Financial Resources Liable to Zakat are;
1. Money, including gold, silver, banknotes, and currencies. Zakat is imposed on gold provided it amounts to a minium of 85grams of pure gold and on silver if it amounts to 595 grams as a minimun, or an equal amount of banknotes, provided a complete hijri year elaspes after possessing it. Thus a person who possesses the above mentioned minimum amount of money must pay 2.5% after the elapse of one full year.
2. Articles of Trade,
Goods commodities, such as cattle, vehicles, lands, textiles, watches, etc. Again to be asessed at the end of each year at the value of Gold or equivalent value of money. If they amount to more then the mentioned rate,2.5% thereof must be given. A trader must assess the original value of commodities and trade items by the end of the financial year, add to pure profit, deduct debts, and pay 2.5% of the value plus profit of goods.
Zakat is not to be imposed on fix assets ie..the shop and tools and devices required for display and operation of goods. Trade articles do not include those purchased for keeping, not for sale or trade...

3. Livestock
If kept for trading will require zakat in the same precentage and manner as articles of trade. One full year must pass for owning them. They Must be equal to the minimum fixed number determined for payment of zakat. There are fixed numbers for livestock involving zakat.


4. Grains and Fruits,
Minimum amount subject to Zakat is about 670kg, for which 10% is to be given as zakat if the grains or fruits are irrigated with rain water, and 5% if they are irrigated by means of machines or if the water is brought by trucks. Zakat for grains and fruits becomes due on maturity and harvest of crops rather than on the elapse of one year. SO WE SHOULD NOTE THIS...
Zakat is not required from those who own a small number of animals to meet their own needs or from the poor.

Answer 9

I don't know and I want to know
thanks for asking it, I am waiting the answer

lol?


~add~
Not only tsunami brother,
Muslim Arabs help to built mosques, hospitals and schools that damaged because of earthquake in my city last year
Jazakumullah (who knows your money was in there too he he he)


~add~
Is it wrong if we only choose Muslim to be given zakat?
We know 7 peoples who has rights to receive zakat

I don't know about shadaqah

Answer 10

Give what you can in Zakat, tithing and alms..........share.
True Charity Zakah is the giving of the self.........